


Hour of Twilight

by Shadow15



Series: From Dusk to Dawn the Dark is Endless [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Mental Health Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-17 05:10:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 42,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14825916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow15/pseuds/Shadow15
Summary: Peter Quill hated Thor with a passion.  At least, he did - until Thor invites him to be partners on their school project and he actually spends some time with the guy.  Maybe Thor isn't as bad as Quill originally thought, but Quill isn't sure they - two people with drastically different backgrounds and upbringings - could ever really click properly.Oh, well.  It doesn't stop Thor from trying, no matter how much Quill always tries to pull away in the end.





	1. Chapter 1

 

They’d met during university, but it hadn’t been love at first sight like on the TV.  In fact, it was one-sided jealousy to the point an outsider could have sworn up and down Peter Quill absolutely _hated_ Thor Odinson.  In some ways, Quill probably did, but if any of his behaviour towards Thor had ever bothered the long-haired male, Thor had never let it show and continued to treat Quill with the same warmness he graced everyone else with.  

“We should work together,” Thor had suggested to Quill after taking the effort of crossing the room to said male’s desk once their teacher had announced they’d need to partner up for their newest project.  

Quill stuck his nose up into the air at the idea.  In silence, he turned away to look at his best friend sitting next to him, trying to pretend that Thor wasn’t standing by his side, waiting _too_ patiently for an answer.  His voice deepened noticeably as it always did whenever he was in close proximity with both Gamora and Thor at the same time.  “Gamora, we should work togeth - Oww, what the hell, Gamora?”

Gamora’s eyes narrowed slightly at Quill, unsympathetic to the way her friend rubbed at his head where she had smacked him.  “He asked you first.  Besides, I’ll need to help Mantis and Drax with this.”

Quill pouted at her before he steeled his gaze and turned back to Thor reluctantly.  His voice returned to normal as he growled, “Why ask _me_ of all people?  You’re popular; everyone loves you.  I’ve seen the way they’d all jump to be your partner…”

Thor missed the envy in Quill as he responded calmly.  “I ask you because you and your friends are the only people in this class I do not know very well.  ...And to be honest, I feel like you hate me and I have not really done anything to deserve that…”

Quill battled the frown that threatened to cross his face.  It was true; Thor was a good guy; boisterous and energetic and the kind of person to get overly-enthusiastic about his parents buying a new brand of cereal - but, as he had stated, he really hadn’t done anything to warrant Quill’s behaviour towards him.  

Quill sighed.  “Alright.  I’ll work with you.  But if you’re using me to get to Gamora, I’ll -”

“- I already dumped you, remember?  Why do you care who wants to hit on me?” From where Gamora had been holding a conversation with the other two members of their friend group, she turned back around to interject herself into Quill’s conversation once more.  

Quill groaned.  “Gamora, you’re not making this easy for me…!”

Thor’s trademark smile never faltered.  He extended his hand outward, waiting for Quill to take it.  “Partners?”

“...Fine…!”  With the utmost dramatic response he could muster, he reached forward and shook the other’s hand.  “So…  Your place tonight?  We can get started on it.”

Thor shook his head.  “I am afraid my home is out of the question for now.  But I am more than happy to come to yours instead.”

Quill wasn’t going to ask why they couldn’t go to Thor’s.  To be honest, he didn’t really care that much.  “Sure.  Meet me here after last class?”

“I may be ten minutes late to arrive, Quill; I will need to check on my brother and make sure he will be okay without me.”

“What, he can’t survive without big brother?” Quill recoiled as an unreadable expression crossed Thor’s face for a brief moment.  He pretended not to notice the way Thor’s throat tightened, as if he were trying to swallow past a lump, and muttered, “Jeez, man, I was joking…  Don’t take it so personal.”

Thor’s lips twitched, as if he wanted to respond, but chose not to.  He nodded, and with that, he returned to his seat. 

Quill exhaled in relief before he nudged Gamora to get her attention.  “That guy’s - damnit, Gamora, stop hitting me!”

Gamora fixed her friend with a stern look.  “Why do you think it’s okay to act like a jerk to everyone you meet?”

From beside Gamora, their overly-tanned friend, Drax, uttered, “This is why you don’t have any friends, Quill.  You really need to learn how to be nicer to people.”

Quill’s jaw dropped.  “You’re all ganging up on me now?!”

The last of their group, Mantis, shook her head.  “Not ganging up.  Singling you out.  You should apologise to him.”

“Hey, why should _I_ be the one to apologise?”

“Because he’s done _nothing_ to you,” Gamora explained.  “The only thing _he_ has to apologise over is the fact that he actually wanted something to do with you.”

Quill threw his hands down on his desk.  He snatched his belongings into his arms before he pushed his chair back and stood.  “Fine!  I’ll go sit with him.  He’s probably better company than _you_ lot.”

As Quill stomped over to sit next to Thor, he couldn’t help but shudder under the welcoming smile the other presented him with.  It was ridiculous how outgoing this guy was; if Quill smiled half as much at people as Thor did, he’d die from the exhaustion of being so nice all the time.  

But still, it proved what Gamora had said; Thor really hadn’t done anything to _anyone_ to justify such assholeish behaviour directed his way.  

“Hey, dude.”  Quill tossed his books onto his desk next to Thor’s neat pile.  “So, remember; meet here after last class once you’ve seen your brother off.”

Thor’s smile widened.  “Thank you for your kindness.”

If Quill had been drinking at that moment, he would have choked.  People had called him a lot of things over the years, but kind had never been in anyone’s vocabulary as they’d done so.  He sighed, and he felt his shoulders deflate in dejection.  “...Yeah, man…”

Thor picked his pen up again so he could continue writing down his notes.  He seemed content with Quill’s company as he didn’t try to start a conversation; something Quill was relieved for; socialising wasn’t exactly his forte, and he was comfortable sitting so quietly as he slacked off.

When the bell rang to signal the end of class, Quill couldn’t have escaped any quicker than he did right then.  If his friends expected him to keep this up, he was sure he was going to die pretty soon.

* * *

Quill waited impatiently outside the door of the classroom for Thor.  He looked at the clock on his phone, agitated to find he had been waiting fifteen minutes already.  He was just about to leave when he heard footsteps running down the corridor towards him, and his new project partner calling his name.  

Quill turned around and sighed at the sight of Thor running towards him, dragging whom he could only imagine was his brother along for the ride.  The black-haired male was viciously clawing at Thor’s hand around his thin wrist, and that _probably_ wasn’t helping the way he didn’t look like the most pleasant person to be around - if it _were_ Thor’s brother, he was now pleased they didn’t go to Thor’s home after all.

“I apologise I am so late, Quill,” Thor murmured.  “I got sidetracked and did not realise the time.  I hope I have not kept you too long.”

Quill couldn’t be assed arguing.  “Nah, man, you’re fine.  This your little bro?”

Thor smiled.  “This is Loki.  It is his first year here.”

Loki seemed to freeze in the way he had been clawing at his brother’s hand.  He looked to his feet, and he was so quiet, Quill almost didn’t hear him.  “Hello…”

“Hey.” Quill shifted his bag in agitation.  “So, we goin’?”

“Oh, yes, one moment, please.” Thor turned back to Loki now and pulled him into a tight hug.  “I will see you tonight, okay, Loki?  Text me if you need me.”

The scowl that had been on Loki’s face only moments ago reappeared as he tried to shrug his way from his brother’s arms.  “Let go of me, you great oaf!”

Thor seemed unperturbed by his brother’s attitude, and with one steady clap to Loki’s shoulder that almost knocked him to the ground, he turned around and focused his attention on Quill again.  “Shall we go?”

Quill nodded.  He turned to look at Loki, not surprised to see him skulking away already; if _he_ had to live with Thor, he’d probably look to escape any chance he got, as well.  “You cool with stopping for food on the way?”

“Yes, please.”  Thor was all smiles and sunshine and to be honest, Quill hated it.  His own scowl was probably matching Loki’s as he led Thor through the corridors and out to the car park.  

“Okay.  What do you want to eat?”

“Whatever you are having; I am not fussed.”

Quill sighed.  “Alright, then.  You want some KFC?”

“Oh, chicken!  I love chicken!” Thor’s eyes crinkled under his grin, and Quill’s scowl grew; why did the gods hate him so much for him to be stuck with _Thor_ of all people?  

“Cool, dude…  That’s my car; get in.”

Quill almost expected to be banging his head against the steering wheel as he drove, but to his relief, Thor was a quiet passenger, almost pensive to a degree.  It allowed him to listen to his music uninterrupted, the iPod his foster father had gifted him for Christmas proving its worth already for car rides. 

They hadn’t walked in to eat like Quill had originally intended on doing; they’d gotten drive thru instead and then gone straight back to Quill’s.  Thor was as puppy-like as ever, seemingly just glad he was eating and not bothered where they did so in the least. 

It had almost seemed like an okay idea bringing Thor around to his place, but it wasn’t until he’d parked the car alongside his foster father’s SUV and gotten out did he realise _who exactly_ he had just brought around.  He felt self-conscious all of a sudden as he looked at Thor - pampered, rich Thor who had probably grown up in a goddamn _palace_ with whom exactly his parents were.

But Thor never looked anything but happy as he walked to the front door and waited so patiently for Quill to catch up to him, Quill wondered if maybe he had been wrong after all to judge Thor solely on his upbringing.  Quill’s home was nothing at all; a small, dingy place that almost looked run-down from the outside, but Thor looked as if he wouldn’t have cared less if Quill lived in a fucking tent. 

“My foster dad is home, so…” Quill shrugged before he fished his house key from one of his many jacket pockets.  “You don’t mind working in my bedroom, do you?”

“Of course not.  I often have to work in my own bedroom as well so I am used to it.”  Thor stepped into the house once the door was swung open.  He looked around.  While the outside of the house hadn’t betrayed, the carpets were clean and the living room he could see ahead of him was tidy and homey, and the best thing was that it looked _lived in_.  He smiled.  “I like your house.”

Quill flinched.  “No, you don’t…  You’re just saying that to suck up to me.”

“No, really, I do.”  Thor rubbed the back of his head in contemplation.  “I do not like my home very much.  This is better.”

Quill lead the way down the corridor to their right and all the way into the bedroom at the end.  “Bullshit.  This has to be dump compared to what you’re used to.”

“But that is exactly it,” Thor tried to explain.  “This feels like a home to me.  It is clean, but not overly so.  I saw dishes in your living room.  If my brother dared leave a _spoon_ on the coffee table, our mother would lose her mind.  I also like how small it is; my house is too big and I only ever see my brother because we share a room.  I do not see my parents much at all.”

Quill dumped his bag carelessly by by his door.  He dropped himself down onto his bed and gestured around.  “Well.  My room is trashed.  So, uh…  Sorry?  Not used to having new people over.  My friends don’t usually care what state my room’s in.” 

Thor’s expression brightened so much, he looked like he could have burst with joy.  His voice had a slight tremble to it as he asked, “You are allowed a messy room?”

“Well…  Yeah?  Aren’t you?”

Thor shook his head.  His smile softened, and he looked almost sad now as he murmured, “You are lucky with what you have, Peter Quill…  Please do not think other people are more fortunate than you are; you see only half the picture.”

Quill was speechless now.  He looked around at his trashed room; dirty clothing strewn all over the place and a bin that was overflowing with chocolate wrappers and takeout containers in the corner.  There was just so much shit all over the place, even his desk was hidden by the monstrosity that was his eating habits. 

Quill finally cleared his throat.  He moved further up onto the bed to make room for Thor.  “Sit and eat your food, dude.  I’ll clear off my desk once we eat and then we can start.”

Thor nodded.  He’d just opened his KFC bag to retrieve his chicken when he heard the soft patter of tiny footsteps approaching.  His expression twisted into pure excitement as he forgot all about his food and leant over the edge of the bed to extend his hand to the raccoon that had just stopped close by.  “He is so cute!”

“He bites,” Quill warned.  “He bites everyone who - wow…”

Thor’s heart raced in excitement as his fingers dragged through the soft fur on the raccoon’s back.  “What is his name?”

“Rocket…”

“Rabbit?”

“The hell, dude?!  No!  Rocket!” Quill facepalmed.

Thor grinned as the raccoon jumped up onto the bed to sniff at his KFC bag.  “He does not _look_ like a rabbit, Quill.  You must learn to name your pets more appropriately.”

“Oh, my god…” Quill couldn’t stay agitated for long, though; he was amazed at the way Rocket had curled up next to Thor, as calm as a kitten when usually he hated strangers with a passion.  “He likes you.”

“He must know I like him, too,” Thor murmured, unable to get enough of patting the animal.

Things were peaceful from then on.  They ate together until Quill was ready to make a path through everything to get to his desk, and soon enough, they worked together on their project, the air about them much more comfortable than it had been earlier that day.  

 


	2. Chapter 2

Quill worked part time as a receptionist for their local doctor’s clinic.  He hadn’t been there for long, but even if he had been, he still probably wouldn’t have been prepared for the sight that befell him when he heard the front doors open and he turned to see who had arrived.

His jaw dropped as he watched Thor stagger in, with his brother’s arm slung over his shoulders as he all but dragged Loki to the counter. He averted his gaze from the blood-soaked cloth Thor was holding against the top of Loki’s dripping arm and looked instead into eyes he’d never seen appear so pleading.  

“Quill…” 

Quill swallowed thickly as he scanned his system for an appointment under either of their names.  Once he found it, he clicked them in attendance. He gave Thor the thumbs up and said nothing, unable to speak as he tried not to take notice of how sickly Loki looked as his head lolled on his brother’s shoulder and his feet dragged along the ground uselessly with each stumble he took. 

He looked away with a wince as Loki crashed to the ground, not wanting to watch Thor scooping him up into his arms and all but running him into the doctor’s office as soon as the door had opened to grant him entrance, clearly an emergency appointment booked with the doctor’s understanding. 

“Tsk.  Poor boy…” It was his co-worker, an older lady, who watched the scene with pity in her eyes.  “I wonder what happened…” 

Quill sighed as he stood up from his chair and went to get a mop and bucket to clean the blood that had splattered to the floor.  He tried not to think about how long it was taking for Thor to emerge from the office and what could potentially be happening in there; all he knew was that when all that long blond hair finally appeared in his peripheral vision once again, it’d been almost an hour since they’d arrived. 

“Can I go on break?” Quill asked his supervisor after the way Thor had crept past the reception desk, pointedly looking anywhere but at his fellow student as he supported Loki on their way to the outside world. 

Quill left without hesitation when he was nodded at.  He went to the back room and got his phone from his locker, telling himself he didn’t  _ really  _ care what had happened; he just wanted to stick his nose into it. 

_ -on brake-  _ he typed. - _ all gud?- _

Quill didn’t expect a response right away, so he grabbed his wallet as well and made his way to the cafe down the street so he could eat.  His phone buzzed fifteen minutes later, and the words practically screaming at him through his phone told him who it was without needing to look at the name. 

_ -EVERYTHING IS FINE BUT I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MEET YOU TONIGHT FOR HOMEWORK. I AM SORRY. WILL TOMORROW NIGHT WORK FOR YOU?- _

Quill put down his salad roll to type back. - _ yeh, can cum to urs tonite insted if u want-  _

The reply came after almost five minutes, and Quill couldn’t help but think it was because Thor had hesitated to give the response he did. 

_ -OK. THAT IS FINE. IT IS JUST US AND MY BROTHER.-  _

Quill was surprised he read what he had; for the week they had been working together, Thor had always shot down Quill’s suggestions to work at Thor’s instead. He couldn’t help but wonder if Thor was only agreeing because A; his brother needed him, and B; they would be home alone. 

_ -wat ur address?- _

Quill wasn’t going to bother replying back after Thor had sent through his home address, but then a second message followed, with just two words.  He didn’t notice the tug at his lips as a smile threatened to break out across his face. 

_ -BRING RABBIT?-  _

_ -sorry; can’t. going back 2 work now-  _ was the last text Quill sent to Thor until he had finished his shift and got into his car that evening. He texted that he was on his way, that he’d stop by his house and get his stuff and then he’d be there. 

Thor didn’t live that far away from Quill, he found out as he parked his car against the kerb. As he’d expected, it was a rich neighbourhood, and he could have saved every cent he’d earn for the next century and he  _ still  _ wouldn’t be able to afford a place here. 

It turned out Quill hated this place already.  He scowled as he walked up the path through the vibrant gardens that made his cheeks redden in shame as he thought of the dead plants that ran along the fence of his own front lawn.  The grass was mowed without imperfection, and the house was so big, he could have fit four of his own home within it. 

He rang the doorbell, and his foot tapped against the doorstep impatiently. Of course Thor was taking so long to open the door; look at what he lived in, man! 

Finally, the front door opened, and Quill was face-to-face with Thor. “Quill…” 

Quill raised his eyebrow. “You alright, dude?”

Thor nodded. He rubbed at his face, aware that his cheeks were still most likely flushed and his eyes red.  “I am fine…. Come in.” 

Quill refused to look around at his new surroundings.  He waited until the door was closed behind him before he said, “You look like you’ve been crying.” 

“Oh, well…” Thor looked away.  He was silent for a few moments before he cocked his head to the side and changed the subject.  “We can work in the living room if you would like; my brother is in my room, but he is playing on his laptop and will not be a bother.” 

Quill looked back to Thor’s face, and now that he had the time, he looked closer.  His eyes widened slightly. “What did you do to your eye? It’s bruised.” 

Thor turned away.  “Nothing. Everything is fine.” 

“Right, that’s why you dragged your brother through my medical clinic and got blood all over the place.” Quill scoffed.  “I had to clean that up. It’s a health hazard, otherwise.” 

“Stop.” There was none of that gentle, stupid Thor in this moment, and even Quill knew to shut his mouth; he’d pissed the other off, and Quill wasn’t sure what to expect now. 

But as quickly as it had arrived, the storm was over, and Thor forced an exhausted smile onto his face.  “May we study in my room? I would like to keep an eye on my brother.” 

Quill nodded; he’d dodged that bullet... “Sure, dude…” 

Quill kept his gaze planted firmly on Thor’s back as he followed behind up the staircase. They said nothing until they’d gotten up onto the last floor of the house - either the third or fourth; Quill hadn’t paid enough attention to tell - and walked to one of the rooms to the left. 

Quill felt his scowl return. Thor had a way of making him feel so inadequate, no matter what. 

“I apologise for my room…” Thor rubbed the back of his head and looked away. 

Quill didn’t even bother responding; Thor was just fucking  _ throwing  _ his fortunate upbringing in his face  _ constantly  _ and he was about fed up with it - just because  _ Thor  _ had a room four times as large as  _ his…!  _

“Thor…” 

Whatever hatred and anger Quill felt boiling in his stomach vanished as he heard Loki’s weak call from the bed on the far side of the room.  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath; enough had happened for them all today; they didn’t need anything else to stress over. 

Thor was by his brother’s side in an instant, the epitome of world’s best brother as he tenderly asked what Loki needed. 

“Can I have some tea…?” Loki was still deathly pale, and from where Quill stood, he could make out the bandage wrapped tightly around Loki’s arm.  The boy looked like death warmed up, and he cringed; something had happened today, and he was quickly realising he didn’t want to know after all. 

Thor kissed Loki’s sweaty forehead as he stood up and turned to Quill.  “Would you like anything to drink? You may sit at my desk as you wait; help yourself to whatever you like.” 

“You got coke?” 

“Yes, I will be back in a few minutes,” Thor promised. 

Quill moved to sit at the desk.  He looked around. While the room had a bed on either side, it didn’t look as if anything was kept personal between them both; there was a bookshelf in the middle of the far wall that appeared to be shared between the two, and with only one desk in the room, it was big enough for them to work at together.  They didn’t have a TV or seemingly any other entertainment consoles like Quill did, but Loki had his laptop next to him and was watching a movie on it, while Thor’s own was sitting on the desk. For some reason, Quill had a gut feeling they only had laptops as a requirement for school.

Quill looked at Loki.  There were deep bags under his eyes that made him look so sickly, and it was then he realised the brothers appeared nothing alike.  It was hard to believe they were related at all; they were polar opposites to each other in every possible way - the only similarity they shared was their long hair, and even then… 

“Hey.” Quill watched Loki take one of his headphones from his ear to listen better.  “You feeling alright?” 

Loki nodded, but he didn’t speak. He put his headphone back in and turned back to his movie.  Quill didn’t push him; he just reached into his bag and pulled out his books. 

Thor didn’t take long to come back, and when he did, it was with two cans of coke tucked beneath his arm and a cup of tea for his brother.  Quill tried not to take notice of the absolute tenderness Thor displayed as he helped his brother sit up against his pillows before giving him his drink. 

“So, I was thinking,” Quill called over his shoulder as he went over his notes, “we could split our research up between us.  Can you do the first five questions and I’ll do the rest?” 

Thor nodded. He tucked Loki’s blankets tight around him before he came to sit at the desk as well.  He passed his friend one of the cans and put the other beside him before he grabbed his laptop and pulled it close to him.  “I am more than happy to do that for you, Quill.” 

“Thanks, bro.  You’re a lifesaver.” 

They worked quietly together for an hour before Quill’s phone rang. He sighed at the caller ID, and before he answered it, he murmured to Thor, “My foster dad…” 

Thor smiled.  “You can answer it.” 

Quill put his phone to ear.  “Hey, Yondu.” 

“Boy, where are you?!” Came the response over the other end of the line. 

Quill frowned.  “Yondu, I’m twenty-six-years-old!  I can be out with friends if I want to be!” 

“I never said you couldn’t; I just asked where you were.”  Yondu sounded puzzled. 

“I’m doing my homework; leave me _ alone _ !” 

“Alright, but have you got your house key? I won’t be home tonight.”

“ _ Yes _ !” 

The call lasted a solid five minutes before Quill was hanging up. He looked to Thor when he heard the other laughing. “What?”

Thor’s laughter died down.  “You sounded like a child throwing a tantrum.  He was so confused why you were whining so much at him.” 

“Tch…”  Quill bit his lip, but when he heard Loki snigger, he realised now that these two had a totally different relationship with their parents than he had with Yondu and had probably never dared speak out of line like he always did.  He forced himself to relax. “You guys need to get out of the house more.” 

“Oh, believe me…” Loki sounded dead serious, and it sent chills down Quill’s spine, “...we  _ want  _ to.” 

Quill shut up now. There was a lot more to Thor and his brother than he had originally thought, and he had a feeling he was getting too deep in something he should have no part in if he could help it. 

“Thor…. I’m tired…”  At Loki’s weak whine and Thor’s immediate response to jump up and tend to his brother’s every whim, Quill knew he should back out the first chance he got. 

The only problem was, Quill never had been good at doing what was best for him. 


	3. Chapter 3

Their assignment had been completed and handed in a week later, and Quill was sure it would be the last he’d see of Thor.  Thor had other friends - popular, _famous_ friends; there was no way he’d want to stick around with a loser like Quill, after all.  

He almost felt relieved at the idea - no more crazy for him to be dragged into because apparently Thor’s family was _very_ crazy - but at the same time, he’d gotten so used to working with the guy, he wasn’t sure he could go back to struggling on his own.

But, watching Thor sit on the other side of the cafeteria with his friends made something pull at Quill’s gut, and whether it was good or bad, he was clueless.  “I’ll be back, guys.”

“Where are you going, Quill?” Drax questioned.  

Quill didn’t reply; instead, he made his way to Thor’s side and took a seat on the bench next to him.  He ignored the looks of wonder he received from the others at the table; half this group were as trash as _he_ was, so they should be used to garbage sitting with them.  “Hey, bro.  Wanna help me with my homework tonight?”

Thor looked excited at the offer.  “Sure!  I can -”

“- You’re not coming tonight now, Thor…?”

Quill looked at the male sitting next to Thor; the science nerd, Bruce Banner, who had no reason to study _another_ subject with the seven PhDs he already carried.  He couldn’t help but sneer; yet another person to make him feel dumber than he already did…  

But then he caught sight of movement beneath the table, and he narrowed his eyes as he watched Thor’s hand rub up and down Bruce’s thigh, _far_ too close to the man’s crotch for comfort.  Quill felt like flipping the table, and he didn’t even know _why_.

It was stupid, he knew; it was none of _his_ business who Thor fucked in his spare time.  ...So why did it piss him off so much? 

Quill took a deep breath, but before he could interject anything, he noticed the _second_ hand on Bruce’s _other_ thigh.  Okay, what the _fuck_ went on with this group?  Did they sleep around with one another or something?  Because they were a damn unlikely group of friends as it were; there had to be _something_ keeping them glued together.

“My apologies, Banner, I forgot we had plans.” Thor sounded so sincere, Quill felt bad he’d gotten pissed off at the other over nothing; Thor was _way_ too fuckin’ kind for his own good. “Quill, I am so very sorry; I already had plans with my friends…  May we reschedule?”

From beside Bruce sat the one and only Anthony Stark, heir of Stark Industries.  Quill bristled once again; stupid, popular Thor and his famous friends…  “He can come if he wants, Point Break; the more, the merrier.”

“Wait, what the hell are you -” Quill never got to finish his sentence because when Thor wrapped his arm around Quill’s shoulders and pulled him in close, he tried to shrug the other away with a loud growl.  “Get off me, man!  Don’t touch me!”

Thor didn’t look bothered in the least by Quill’s reaction as he let go - most likely used to the beratings from his brother, Quill had come to learn.  His eyes crinkled as his smile brightened and ever-so-cheerfully, he invited, “Stark is hosting a party tonight.  You are more than welcome to come along, Quill.”

“What?  No!  I don’t even _know_ you freaks!” Quill shook his head.

“You know, to some of us, _you_ are the freak,” came the response from the man on the other side of the table.  Quill didn’t have a name for him, but he was sure he knew him to be their local archery champion.  From beside him was his girlfriend - well, Quill assumed she was with how close they sat - who gave the man a look Quill couldn’t decipher.  Her name, if he’d remembered correctly from one or two encounters with her, was Nat.  

“Clint, don’t be mean…” Bruce was a soft-spoken person, and Quill couldn’t see how anyone could take orders from him with his clear lack of confidence.  Hell, from what he’d seen of them all here and there, he was pretty sure the majority of this group walked all over him.  Bruce turned his attention to Quill, and as soft as ever, he murmured, “I am sorry about Clint…  But you are welcome to join us if you’d like.  I think Thor would like it if you did; he’s been talking about you a lot.”

Quill snorted.  He stood.  His tone was cold as he replied that he’d think about it, and though it had an effect on the others, Thor seemed immune to him - another byproduct of Loki, most likely.  

Quill went back to his own table.  He took his seat, and with a scowl on his face, he blurted, “Can you _believe_ them!  Asking me to go to their _party_!  I don’t even _know_ them!”

Gamora shrugged.  “Why not go?  You know _one_ of them.”

“It would be a good time for you to work on your making friends skills, Quill,” Drax pointed out.  “You suck at making friends.”

Quill scoffed.  “Thanks for that, Drax; just what I needed.”

“You know he’s right,” Gamora said.  From beside her, her sister, Nebula, nodded in agreement and muttered something about him being an idiot under her breath.

“If you go with the muscle man, you might get to kiss him,” Mantis pointed out, with far more exuberance than was required for such a statement.

Quill had nothing in his mouth, but still he choked on his own saliva.  He caught his breath and stuttered, “W-what?!”

“You want to kiss the muscle man.”

“No, I don’t!” Quill almost yelled.  

“You _do,_ ” Mantis argued.  “You _do_ want to kiss the muscle man!”

“I want to kiss Gamora!”

“That’s not happening, so you may as well go kiss your new friend instead.” Gamora rolled her eyes.  Nebula snorted. 

Quill facepalmed.  “ _Why_ would I want to kiss Thor?  And he’s _not_ my friend!  He’s just some guy!”

“You feel a sexual attraction to the muscle man,” Mantis explained.  “You want him to -”

“- Alright, _enough_ about Thor!” Quill dropped his face into his hands.  

“It’s true, though,” Drax pointed out.  “Pretty sure you _do_ want to dance with the muscle man.”

“Well, I _don’t_.  Alright!” Quill kept his face in his hands.  “You’re all a bunch of idiots…”

“They’re teasing you, Peter.” Gamora couldn’t believe she had to explain this to him.  “They’re teasing you because they know it’ll get a reaction out of you.  Just tell the poor guy you’ll go; we’re all busy tonight so you may as well go hang out with _someone_ since Yondu won’t be home, either.”

Quill sighed.  He pushed himself reluctantly to his feet.  “I hate that you make sense, Gamora.”

“Just go talk to him.  Nebula will escort you over if you -”

“- _Fine,_ I’m going!” Quill made sure to give them his best pout.

“Don’t take it personally, Quill; we just don’t want you here.” Drax popped a potato chip into his mouth like nothing had ever happened.

It was turning into a habit for Quill to stomp around all the time, and for that, he blamed Thor for getting on his nerves, even when he wasn’t around.  He stood by Thor’s table as all chatter went silent at his reappearance, looking at him as if he’d grown a second head.  Fucking hell, he really hated people sometimes…

Quill dropped his arm onto Thor’s shoulder and all but snarled out, “Just so you know, I _will_ take that party invitation.”

“Great.  Come by Stark Towers at eight.” Tony’s eyes fixed on Thor.  “Thor, buddy, you with us?”

Thor almost jumped.  He looked around as he felt Quill’s arm move away.  “What?  What happened?”

“You looked spaced out for a while there.” Tony patted his friend’s shoulder.

“Oh, I am fine,” Thor promised.  He looked past his friends and further down the corridor to see a large group of people coming through the entry doors. “Rogers is coming back, and he has everyone with him.”

“Cool.  Kid, you sitting with us?  There probably won’t be much room left for you by the time everyone gets their seats.” A smirk crossed Tony’s face now, and he gave a sly look to Thor.  “Unless you want to take a seat on big ole’ Thor’s lap.  You’re probably the only one who hasn’t by now.”

Quill sneered.  It was one thing being teased by his friends, but he barely even knew this asshole!  “Fucker…”

Quill left, and Thor chased after him.  “Quill!  Wait!”

Quill frowned as he felt Thor grab his wrist.  He tugged it away and spat, “Leave me alone!”

Thor shook his head.  “I am so sorry about my friends, Quill; they were not making fun of you; they were making fun of _me_.”

Quill snorted.  “No, they were very clearly having a dig at me telling me to sit in your lap.”

“No, I promise you, Quill; it was aimed at me.” Thor scratched his cheek as a slight flush lit up his face.  “They would have said that, no matter who was standing there.  It was a joke at my own expense.”

Quill felt a tad calmer now.  “What, so basically you let your friends get away with calling you a whore?”

Thor’s nervous smile faltered now, and he looked down.  His feet shuffled in uncertainty.  “...”

Quill facepalmed once more.  “Dude, you _know_ that’s shitty friends, right?  My friends say a lot to me but they would never call me a whore.  I don’t care that you’re not a chick; it’s still wrong to make fun of someone like that.  Most other guys don’t see it that way, but I think it’s a fucking shitty thing to say to _anyone._ ”

Thor sighed.  “They do not mean to upset me; they just…  Sometimes they think before they speak.”

Quill nodded.  “Come sit with my friends, bro.  You still haven’t met them properly.”

Thor held no complaints as he allowed himself to be lead back to Quill’s table.  He smiled again now as he look around at everyone.  Quill wondered if it would ever stop irking him how damn _happy_ Thor was all the time.  “Hello!  I am Thor.  I know most of you from class…  But I do not know you.”

Nebula nodded as Thor’s gaze fixed solely on her.  “Nebula, Gamora’s sister.”

“Hello!” Thor’s eyes crinkled again from his smile as he reached out to shake her hand.  “I have never really spoken with any of you - apart from Quill.  But he has told me a lot about you all.  I think we could be friends.”

“Quill was right about you.” Drax sounded astounded as his eyes drifted over Thor.  “You really _do_ look like a pirate and an angel gave birth to you.”

“Pirate angel,” Mantis breathed in astonishment.  “Can I feel your muscles?”

Gamora didn’t wait for invitation as she dragged her fingers along the bulging muscles in Thor’s arms, much to the discomfort of Quill.

“You can stop massaging his muscles, Gamora…” Quill grit his teeth; maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…  He cleared his throat, ready to deepen his voice once more, but whatever threat against his masculinity he felt vanished as he noted how happy Thor looked to be around his friends.

Thor wasn’t _that_ bad, really.  A bit of an idiot and a goofball, but he was a decent person.  Besides; shit seemed to follow him rather than he would seek it out on his own, like most of Thor’s _other_ friends.  

Quill relaxed.  “So, about that party tonight…  Does he usually have parties?”

“Oh, always.” Thor fixed his smile on Quill now.  “I am happy you will come with me; I feel so bad I said yes to you without even thinking.”

“It’s okay, man,” Quill promised.  “I’ll probably come for a bit and then go home; parties aren’t really my scene.”

“He means he would rather stay at home playing video games and eating pizza all night,” Nebula leant in to say.  

Thor laughed.  “Perhaps we could do that ourselves one night; I also like video games but I do not have any.”

“But your parents are _loaded_ ,” Mantis pointed out.  “They do not buy you video games?”

Thor’s smile faltered, as hard as he battled to keep it on his face.  “They do not approve of me or my brother playing them.”

“Come play with us,” Quill invited.  “We play them all the time.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful.” Thor’s smile was sincere once again.  

Quill nodded back.  “Cool, bro.  Let’s get this party out of the way and then we’ll see what happens.”

* * *

 

The second Quill stepped foot into the party, he wanted to turn back and go home.  It was too crowded, too stuffy, and too loud, and he immediately regretted ever agreeing to come.  

“Thor, I’m not…” Quill had grabbed the back of Thor’s jacket to keep him from wandering away.  He shook his head as the other turned to look at him.  “...”

“There is too much happening for you,” Thor observed.  “My brother is the same; he avoids these things, too.  We will sit at the bar; there are not many people there.”

Quill allowed himself to be dragged along.  He said nothing until he was seated and Thor was asking him what kind of drink he wanted.  He shrugged.  “I don’t care, dude; whatever you’re having.”

Thor gave the order, and as he waited for their drinks to be passed to them, he moved closer to Quill.  “Are you okay?  I understand you may be overwhelmed; these things overwhelm my brother very easily.”

“I’m just not used to all this,” Quill explained.  “I’m a shut-in; I’m not used to leaving my house.  I’m alright, though.”

Thor nodded.  He thanked the bartender as their drinks were given to them.  He took a sip.  “To be honest, I am not very interested in these sort of things, either, but I come for my friends.  They ask me to and I hate to disappoint them.”

“You could have told them no, you realise?” Quill scolded.  “You don’t have to push yourself to do shit you aren’t comfortable with just because people ask you.”

“You say this to me, but are you not here for the same reason that you could not tell someone no?” Thor’s voice lowered, but he didn’t sound angry; merely inquisitive.  

“It’s different.  I’d have been home alone.  I don’t do well on my own.  Probably better for me to be here with _someone_ I know…”

Thor nodded.  He looked down at his drink.  “...You still do not know me very well, yet you consider me as a friend…”

“Oh, let’s not go _that_ far.  No.  You’re more like a tolerable acquaintance.”

Thor chuckled.  “I think of you as a friend, Quill.  You are unnecessarily kind to me.”

“Thor…” Quill sighed.  “...No…  You shouldn’t think of me like that, buddy; no way…  I’m an asshole; that’s what I am.”

“You have never been towards me or my brother.  You are socially awkward, but you have never been cruel to me.”

Quill grimaced as he tried to see where Thor was coming from, but with the loud music blasting from the speakers that were quickly bringing on a headache, he found it too difficult to come up with much.  “You’re an okay guy.  And your brother barely speaks to me; I don’t know him enough to form an opinion on him.”

“Loki doesn’t really speak to anyone but me.  But he is getting better.  He has come out of his shell around my friends.”

“Speaking of your friends…” Quill drank a bit, but he shuddered at the taste, “...are you seeing anyone?”

“No?” Thor cocked his head to the side.  “Why do you ask?”

“I just thought it weird your hand _and_ Stark’s were feeling up Banner’s thighs is all.” Quill braced himself as he downed some more of his drink.  “What, is he like the…?”

“Oh, no, no!” Thor waved his hands dramatically in the air.  “No, Banner would never…!  Banner and Stark are together; Banner would never sleep around like that - not with anyone!”

“But Stark is okay with you touching his boyfriend?” Quill didn’t understand; if he were Stark, he’d have knocked Thor out for putting his hands on his partner.

“He is only okay with _me_ touching him; Stark understands me.” Thor fell silent now, pensive to a degree.  

Quill leaned closer.  “You gay or somethin’?”

Thor shook his head.  “No.  I…  I am not limited in my attractions to people, but I only feel sexual desire towards people I feel very close to.  Stark understands I have no ill intent and simply wish to express my affections - I do not intend to make advances or wish to sleep with them as I do so; it is just how I am when I feel very close to someone.  It is the same with our other friends; Natasha allows me closeness as she knows I would never wish to hurt her or make her uncomfortable.  They allow me to be me.”

“Maybe they aren’t as horrible as I pegged them to be…”  Hey, _Thor_ wasn’t as bad as Quill had originally thought, either.  “So you’ve…  Been with guys before or something?”

Thor nodded.  “Yes; Stark allows me to join him and Banner on occasion if I feel the desperate need to be with someone physically.”

“Do your parents care?”

Thor tensed at this question now.  He looked down.  “...They do not know…  Oh, excuse me a moment, Quill; Barton is waving at me.  He must need something.”

“Go for it, man.”

While Thor was gone, Quill pulled his phone from his pocket.  He played with it in silence, waiting for Thor’s return.  He glanced up every now and then to see what was taking Thor so long, and seeing them seemingly staring at him as they spoke gave him the distinct feeling they were discussing something about him.  He grit his teeth.  “Tch…”

He made sure to keep his attention solely on his phone now, deciding that Thor would just come back whenever he wanted to and there was no point pissing himself off seeing what they were doing.  

Quill had played a few rounds of Snake by the time someone sat by him, and he looked up expecting to see Thor.  He had a scolding for taking so long on the tip of his tongue, but instead of Thor, he was greeted by the sight of a stranger, one who looked twice his age with an unnerving expression on his face.  Quill huffed.  “Fuck off.”

The stranger laughed.  “Your boyfriend leave you?”

“He’s not my boyfriend.  Piss off, asshole.” Quill spun his chair around to show his back to the other, not wanting the attention.  

“You know, if you’re looking for a bit of fun, I’ve got a nice little selection you can buy from.” He moved closer until his hot breath billowed down the back of Quill’s neck.  His hand ghosted along Quill’s hip, and Quill shuddered in disgust.  “Otherwise, I can think of… _other_ things you may be interested in.”

Quill curled his hand into a fist.  He spun around, ready to start throwing punches, but it seemed he didn’t have to as Thor, Clint and Natasha were now standing before them, looking angrier than Quill had ever seen them.

“He does not appreciate your approaches.  Leave.”  Thor’s mere presence was enough for anyone with half a brain to go, unless they wanted to try and fight his intimidatingly bulky build.  Strangely enough, not many people were _that_ bold.  

Thor watched the man slink off before he reclaimed his seat and put his arm around Quill’s shoulders.  “Are you okay, Quill?  He did not hurt you, did he?”

Quill shook his head.  He spun around again to look at Clint and Natasha.  They nodded at him, so he nodded back as he grabbed his drink once more and downed the last of it in frustration.  “I was about to punch him.”

Thor chuckled.  He listened as Clint and Natasha took the empty seats by them.  “Barton, thank you for noticing.”

“Yeah, man.  Nat, you want a drink?”

The night dragged on for Quill, but he wasn’t so sure it was from boredom anymore because the world was starting to spin for him and all the disco lights were hurting his eyes.  He groaned and dropped his arm over his face to try and block it out.

From where Thor had faithfully stayed by Quill’s side, he grabbed his friend’s shoulders in concern.  “Quill?  What is wrong?”

Quill groaned again as nausea overwhelmed him.  He felt lightheaded, and he was sure that if he didnt find a bathroom some time soon, he was going to throw up all over the place.  He panted as sweat rolled down his face.  “I don’t feel well…”

Thor felt his heart race as his friend tried to stand, only to collapse onto the floor.  He got off his chair to scoop Quill up into his arms.  He watched as Natasha snatched away Quill’s empty glass and sniffed it.

“He’s been drugged,” she growled as she threw the glass back onto the counter so forcefully, it shattered.  “Get him into a spare room.  Clint, go and tell Stark about that bastard.” 

Thor wasted no time in carrying Quill over to the stairwell and down to the sleeping quarters.  He picked the first room they came across he knew to be a guest room, and with little patience, he had Quill laying on the mattress.  

“Quill, it is okay,” Thor promised as he took hold of one of his friend’s hands in both of his giant ones.  “It will be alright; we will look after you.”

“I’ll get him some water,” Natasha promised as she left the room again.

“You see?  Everyone will look after you.  You will be okay.” Thor moved one of his hands to smooth at Quill’s sweaty hair.  “I am good at looking after people; I look after my brother all the time.  You are safe with me.”

Quill barely took in anything Thor was saying.  He kept his eyes clamped tightly shut to try and stave off the overwhelming nausea, but quickly he found himself drifting in and out of consciousness until all he could piece together were tiny little things.  He was vaguely aware of someone lifting him into a sitting position to feed him water, and he remembered cracking his eyelid open to see Stark and Banner at the doorway, Banner rushing in to look over him. 

It was fuzzy after that; he was sure he’d slipped in and out of sleep, but every time his eyes had opened, Thor had still been at his side, keeping him company and whispering to him.

Finally, Quill succumbed to sleep completely, but his dreams that night weren’t comforting.  

 


	4. Chapter 4

When Quill awoke the next morning, it was to throw up.  Vomit splattered throughout the bed and onto the carpet below, but just when he thought he was finished, another wave of nausea slammed into him and he was sure he was going to die from the intensity of it.

It felt like it had taken forever for the nausea to pass.  He closed his eyes and moaned as the world spun before his eyes, but still he swung his legs over the bed and did his best to avoid coming into contact with any messes as he got to his feet.  

Quill wasn’t sure he’d ever done anything that required as much effort as walking did right now.  He felt so weak, so sick that he was sure he was going to collapse at any moment.  He saw the elevator ahead of him, and as much as he wanted to step into it to avoid the stairs, he had a feeling all it would accomplish would be making him throw up more than he already was at the motions.

By the time he’d climbed the stairs and found himself on the same floor he had been on last night, he felt his stomach churn more violently as voices from further in floated towards him.  He peeked his head through the doorway and looked around.  There seemed to be only two people on the floor right now; Thor, and another blond seated next to him on the couch.

He stumbled out of the stairwell and onto the floor, and if they hadn’t noticed him before, they definitely would now, he knew, as his legs finally gave out and he collapsed onto the marble floor with a loud groan.  

“I’ll get him, Thor.” It was the other blond, the one Quill vaguely recognised from school; Steve… Rogers?  Something like that.  He got up from the couch and hurried to Quill’s side to scoop him up into arms just as strong as Thor’s; why did those two gym nerds have to show off all the time…?  

Quill kept his eyes shut to try and fight against the nausea.  He allowed himself to be carried over to the couch, and once he was seated against what he assumed was a mountain of pillows behind him, he opened them again to look around.  He cringed when Thor reached out to touch his face, and at the hurt expression he received upon jerking away from the contact instinctively, Quill felt guilty; the poor guy had probably been stressing all night over him judging by the dark bags beneath his eyes...  

“Loki, hold on a minute, please.” Thor was talking on the phone now, Quill realised.  He had the device cradled against his ear with his shoulder as his hands reached out to fuss with Quill’s dirtied clothes.  When he spoke to his friend, his voice wavered, but Quill didn’t believe it was _completely_ because of the state he was in.  “Quill…  My friend, how are you feeling?  Please forgive me; I need to tend to my brother and then you will have my full attention.”

Quill nodded slightly.  He leaned back against the cushions as he felt the nausea return.  He shied away when Steve appeared by his side again with a glass of water; just the _thought_ of drink - oh, great.

Thor recoiled as Quill vomited again, and never before had anyone seen him look so torn as he held his phone out while his eyes flickered between it and Quill.  Eventually, he stuttered into the phone, “L-loki, I am so sorry…  B-but something has come up.  I will c-call you back; I promise.  I love you s-so much, brother…”

Quill shoved away Steve’s hand as it reached out to assist him.  He shook his head.  “Don’t…”

Thor ignored Quill’s wishes to be left alone as he slipped his arms around his friend and lifted him into his arms.  He shook his head when Quill protested.  “A warm bath will make you feel better, Quill.  I will find you a bucket and run the water for you.”

Quill no longer had the energy to resist - not after he vomited again, this time all over Thor.  He groaned loudly.  “I’m sorry, man…”

“Do not be,” Thor said softly, undeterred from his mission.  

It fell silent between them until they’d entered one of the main bathrooms and Thor flicked on the lightswitch behind him.  He carried Quill over to the toilet and put the lid down so he could place his friend on it.  Quill moaned as the sudden lighting hurt his eyes, and it was then he realised just how dark the building had been as he’d stumbled through it.  “What time is it…?”

“Six.  Shall I help you out of your clothing?”

“Nah, man, I got this…” Quill had never felt as pathetic as he did right now in his struggles to get free of his clothing.  

“I will run the water and then find you a bucket,” Thor promised.

Quill managed to undress himself and get into the tub when Thor returned.  He sighed in resignation as he realised too late that without his clothing, Thor was going to -

“Here is your bucket.  I am going to use the shower; please call out if you need anything.”

Quill closed his eyes; Thor hadn’t brought up what he’d feared he would, and for that, he was thankful.  

It was almost peaceful, apart from Quill’s vomiting.  The warmth of the bath was soothing, and listening to the steady run of the shower comforted him to know that Thor was still so close.  It stopped running just as Quill finished washing his face, and Thor banged around a little as he got out and retrieved a towel from the rack.  After drying himself off, he wrapped it around his waist and moved to kneel by the tub. 

“Are you feeling any better?” Thor’s smile was radiant as he reached out to put his hand on Quill’s shoulder.  

Quill shook his head.  His pale face testified this, but as his eyes wandered over Thor’s bare body, it paled even further.  

It would be so rude of Quill to comment on the bruises - new and old - that littered Thor’s body when Thor had pretended not to notice any of the years-old marring on his body earlier.  He probably could have managed not to say anything as well, but that was before he caught sight of the scars that lined Thor’s arms like marks on an old chopping board. 

Quill reached out and ghosted his fingertips against Thor’s forearm.  His eyes became lidded as he shook his head.  “Dude…  No…”

Thor’s smile faltered, but its sincerity remained as he reached out to put his hand over Quill’s.  “I will be okay.  They are old.”

Quill kept his hand over the old wounds that left no doubt in his mind Thor had, at one stage - and possibly still _was_ \- been a self-harmer as his eyes dragged over Thor’s body once again.  He didn’t know what expression he was donning as he remembered how _his_ body had once been just like Thor’s, bruise and sore and _broken_ , but whatever it was, Thor had cupped his chin and turned his head to meet his eyes.

Thor had never sounded so gentle as he murmured, “It is alright, Quill.  Every bruise on me is a bruise my brother has been spared from.  I would gladly be beaten black and blue if it pardons Loki further pain.”

They stayed like that, staring into each other’s eyes before Quill was snapped out of his stupor at the way Thor licked his lips before his face moved ever closer.  He froze as his breath caught in his throat, watching the way the other’s pupils dilated until Thor had leant in and kissed the corner of Quill’s lips so gently, Quill wondered if that had really just happened.  

Thor’s smile became so gentle as he pulled away and caressed Quill’s cheek with his thumb, Quill couldn’t help but relax under his touch.  “I will find us clean clothing.  I will be right back.”

Quill didn’t know if Thor came back or not, because minutes later, his eyelids slid shut and he was fast asleep again.

* * *

Quill woke up in his own bed.  He frowned; wondering if everything that had happened had just been some sort of crazy, over-realistic dream - but when he looked at his alarm clock and saw it was four o’clock in the afternoon and he was donning clothing that wasn’t his, he realised it hadn’t been a dream after all.

“Fuck…” Quill looked around for his phone.  He found it on the bedside drawers, and he surprised himself when the first thing he did was send a text to Thor rather than let anyone else in his life know that he was okay and not to worry.  ...He really _was_ becoming a sucker for the big guy, wasn’t he?   _\- thx, bro.  cum over?  we can play games -_

The reply came almost immediately, as if Thor had been sitting on his phone waiting for the text.   _\- OKAY :D  MAY MY BROTHER COME, TOO?  HE HAS HAD A BAD DAY. :) -_

_\- sure man.  c u soon -_

Quill laid back down and sighed.  He still felt so damn tired, but at least the nausea seemed to have settled.  He looked around and found a bottle of Hydralite next to where his phone had been.  He let out a sigh of relief; he knew with how severely he had been vomiting, he was going to be very dehydrated.  

He couldn’t drink much at once; it brought back the nausea trying to do so, so he settled for slow sips.  He carried the drink with him as he got out of bed and stood, taking unsteady steps to his bedroom door.  He opened it and looked around.  “Yondu…?”

“In here, boy,” came the response from the living room.  

Quill slowly made his way to his foster father.  He waited until he was sitting on the couch next to the man before he murmured, “What happened…?”

“Your friends brought you home.” Yondu squeezed Quill’s shoulder tightly and didn’t let go. “They told me what happened, Quill.”

Quill looked at his lap.  He sighed.  “Are you disappointed in me, Yondu…?”

“Boy, why would I be disappointed in _you_?” Yondu shook his head.  “I ripped into the one who hosted the party, but you did nothing wrong, Quill.  You didn’t know your drink was spiked.”

Quill nodded.  “I still feel sick…”

“Go back and rest.  Drink your Hydralite.”

“My friends are coming around, Yondu.” Quill dropped his head onto the man’s shoulder.  “We’re going to play games.  Can we have the living room for a bit?”

“Sure, boy.  I’ll be leaving for work soon anyway.”

“Thanks…”

When Yondu got up to leave the room, Quill took advantage of his absence and laid down.  He kept his eyes closed until he heard the doorbell ring, and with a groan, he pushed himself up and went to answer it.  He rubbed his eyes as he opened the door wide enough to let Thor and Loki step inside, but he was almost knocked off his feet at the bone-crushing hug Thor gifted him with.

“Okay, dude…” Quill patted Thor’s back uncomfortably, “...you can let go now…”

Loki rolled his eyes as Thor stepped back and beamed.  Thor, however, was back to his usual booming self as he said, “I am so happy you are feeling better!”

“Yeah…” Quill closed the door after the two had stepped inside.  “Did you bring me home?”

Thor nodded.  “Stark drove you home, and I came with him to give him the directions.  Stark feels so very bad it happened; he does not allow drugs to be used in his home because of his -”

Quill didn’t miss how quickly Thor had cut himself off with a glance to Loki, but he didn’t comment on it; the more he learnt about these two, the more he knew it was best for him to stay out of their troubled lives.  “Yondu said we can have the living room, so we’ve got the big TV.  You guys can pick out some games to play.”

“Loki would rather do his homework,” Thor explained softly, with a hint of pride in his voice.  “He studies very hard.”

“Yeah, unlike some…” Loki muttered.  Thor hadn’t been joking, Quill realised; Loki really _had_ been having a bad day and now he was taking his shit out on them.  

Thor didn’t seem bothered though, so Quill wasn’t going to say anything about it.  Instead, he lead them to the living room and gestured for them to sit on the couch.  “You ever played Mario Kart, Thor?”

Thor’s eyes lit up with excitement, and he looked almost like a little kid in his glee.  “Yes!  We play it at Stark’s!”

“Alright, my man, let’s play a couple rounds.  Sure you don’t want to join us, Loki?” Quill almost felt bad for asking at the way Loki tensed in spreading his homework out on the coffee table before he leant in to his brother’s side, as if to hide himself. “Alright, I’ll take that as a no.  Yell out if you want to later though, hey?”

Quill had set the console up and they’d played one round before Thor asked, “Where is Rabbit?”

“Oh, my god…  Dude, his name’s Rocket.  And I don’t know; I haven’t been awake long.  Probably with Yondu.” Quill pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation, but speak of the devil; Yondu had walked into the living room with Rocket on his shoulder.  “Hey, Yondu.”

“Hey, boys.  What’s happenin’?” Yondu stood by the couch and observed the three.  “Havin’ fun?”

“Oh, yes!” Thor wrapped his arm around Loki’s waist when he felt his brother hide against him.  He held him close and squeezed Loki’s hand in reassurance.  “I wondered where Rabbit was.  Loki, look!  This is Rabbit!”

Yondu hated to see the way the black-haired boy wouldn’t pull his face away from Thor’s shoulder.  He knew the other was scared of him, and seeing such unbridled fright made his hands clench; it was too close for comfort to the way Quill had once been after coming into Yondu’s care…  

Yondu fixed his eyes on Thor and forced a smile to his face.  “Quill’s told me how much you like the raccoon.”

Rocket jumped from Yondu’s shoulder and onto the back of the couch.  He sniffed Loki’s head before he jumped down onto Thor’s lap and brushed against him.  His nose rubbed against Thor’s hand as he reached down to take the animal into a hug. 

“Loki, look!” Thor grabbed Loki’s shoulder to get his attention, but all he had really accomplished was rocking his brother almost violently side-to-side in his excitement.  “Loki!”

Quill stood up, not wanting to see the way Loki seemed to have shut down at Yondu’s presence.  “I’m getting a drink.  You guys want one?”

“Please.” Thor was as polite as ever before he went back to trying to get his brother’s attention.  

Yondu followed Quill out to the kitchen.  “That black-haired boy’s been through some stuff.”

“His name is Loki, and I think they both have; I saw today Thor used to cut himself.  And he had these crazy bruises all over him.”

Yondu flinched.  He reached out for the can of soft drink Quill passed to him.  “I’ve got to leave.  You take care of them now.  You know how that’s like, boy.”

Quill nodded.  The night went more smoothly now that Yondu had left; Loki slowly uncurled himself from around his brother’s torso and returned to his homework, and Thor and Quill enjoyed themselves with video games.

It was getting late, though, and Quill hadn’t noticed until he’d looked to Thor to see what was up when his friend - _was_ he a friend now?  It was still too early to tell - paused the game.  “Thor?”

“Loki is asleep,” Thor whispered.  Quill looked around him and, sure enough, Loki’s head was resting on his brother’s shoulder as he snored lightly.  “We should be getting home…  Our father will…”

“Why not stay the night here?” Quill suggested.

Thor frowned.  “Loki is already in trouble…  And I…  I wasn’t there for him through it last night…”

Quill leant in close.  “Dude, I _saw_ those bruises on you.  You saw my body, too.  Those burns and scars all over me?  Yeah, I get it.  That’s why I’m telling you to stay here.  Don’t go home to that shit, man.  It isn’t worth it.”

“Loki will be -”

“- Loki is going to be in trouble anyway, whether you go home now or tomorrow,” Quill pointed out.  “Look, I don’t have a spare bed, but I can throw some blankets on the ground of my room for you and your bro.  Okay?  You might even get Rocket to sleep with you if you’re lucky.  Just don’t go home to that; _no one_ should have to go through that.”

“You understand…” Thor dropped his head.  

“I do, bro.  It got so bad my father tried to _kill_ me.  I don’t wanna know that happened to you or Loki.  Don’t make me have to stress about what kind of crap I’ve kicked you back out into.”

Thor closed his eyes as he nodded.  If only for Loki’s peace of mind, he _would_ like his brother to be able to sleep through the night safely for once.  “Thank you, Quill…  May I put my brother in your bed for now until we finish our games?”

“Go for it.  I’ll get us more drinks.  You want to order in some pizza?”

“Okay.” Thor’s smile was shy now as he scooped Loki up into his arms and carried his brother out of the living room and down the hallway.  

Quill sighed as he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled the local pizzeria’s number as he left to get them more drinks.  It didn’t take long for them to be back on the couch together, but they didn’t unpause their game just yet; Quill was complaining of a stiff neck.

“Allow me.” Thor’s hands, despite their massive size, were so incredibly gentle as they turned Quill around to access his neck and massage soft, soothing circles into the warm flesh.  “You do feel pretty tight, Quill.”

Quill closed his eyes as he relaxed into the massage.  “Think you can do my back for me, too?  Got a bit of an ache coming on.”

“Of course,” Thor said softly.  “My brother tells me I am very good at massages.”

“Probably the only compliment you’ll ever get off that guy,” Quill joked.  He smiled as Thor laughed a little, and from there, they fell into a comfortable silence as Thor worked his magic.

Quill soon took notice of the way Thor’s breathing seemed to have become ragged.  His skin prickled as he felt the other’s hot breath billow over the nape of his neck, and he fought against a moan at the sensations it stirred within him.  

Thor shuffled behind Quill, and Quill had his suspicions why when he noticed Thor was folding his legs.  “Hey, bro…?”

“Y-yeah…?” Thor’s voice was breathy, as if it were taking everything he had just to be able to reply.

“You feelin’ alright?”

“Yes…  Quite…  Is your aching gone?”

“Yeah, you can stop now if you want.”

Thor almost hesitated in doing so, but eventually, he pulled his hands away and turned around to face the TV again.  His hands gripped at his pants tightly as he looked anywhere but at Quill, but the flush on his face gave away a lot more than he would want known right now.

“You know, you’ve been looking at me a lot, I’ve noticed...” Quill didn’t know why he was diving into the subject now of all times, but here he was, probably about to make things worse.  He pulled his legs up to sit on them.  “I almost thought earlier I’d dreamed you kissing me.  Now I’m not so sure.”

Thor ducked his head again.  “I apologise if I have made you feel uncomfortable at all…”

“Nah, man, it’s cool,” Quill promised.  “So, like…  You feel like you want to bang everyone you are close to?”

“Sort of…” Thor raised his hand to chew at his fingernails as he tried to think of how he could explain things.  “I get aroused very easily with people I trust, but it is not so much lust…  It is more…  An expansion of my affections towards them - if they so desire to be with me, that is.  I would not have any objections towards any of my friends asking to bed me, and I have been with them all in some form or another, but…  It is not that I _wish_ to sleep with them.  It is so difficult to explain, Quill…  I apologise…”

“Don’t apologise; I think I know what you mean.  Affection makes you feel horny because to you, it’s a very strong response to your emotions.”

“Y-yes.” Thor was surprised by how easily he had been understood; usually he struggled making people understand that just because he may have gotten hard from a bit of cuddling, didn’t mean he was going to ask to sleep with them.  

“So how do you decipher if you really really love someone versus you just getting overwhelmed from affection?”

Thor cocked his head to the side.  “I  do not know how to explain it…  It stirs… different emotion within me…  Like tonight, I just…”

Quill moved closer, and he didn’t even know _why_.  “Like tonight?  Right now?”

Thor nodded.  He gulped heavily before he murmured, “I am no stranger to wanting to make out with my friends, but tonight, I just…  I…  I desired so heavily to kiss your body instead…”

Quill felt his pants tighten a bit.  He reached out to put his hand on Thor’s shoulder.  “You don’t even know if I like guys or not and here you are, dropping a bombshell on me, bro.”

“I know you are bisexual; I have heard people at school discuss it,” Thor said softly.  “It is why I am comfortable talking to you about these things.  You have been with other men before.  I sincerely apologise if I have, in any way, made you uncomfortable or disgusted in me and I -”

“- I think you could do with some practise in kissing; you were completely off-target this morning.” Quill grabbed Thor’s cheek and cupped it in his palm before he moved in for the kiss.

It wasn’t long or even deep; a small peck of the lips to get a taste for each other, but they were happy with it because Thor quickly jumped off the couch and murmured, “I need to relieve myself; please excuse me…”

Quill chuckled as Thor all but fled.  He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table as he waited for his friend to come back and thought about it.  He had an idea of how romance and intimacy worked for Thor, but he’d never considered things could work that way.  Though, the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if it wasn’t implausible because while he still didn’t have the greatest opinion on Thor, he found himself realising that he wouldn’t mind giving Thor a chance.  

Thor had gone above and beyond for Quill, and Quill’s respect for him had certainly increased far more than just thinking of him as an gentle idiot always trying to flaunt the things he was better at.  No; Quill was finding himself feeling rather protective now, but if they were going to do this, there would have to be rules he’d need to lay out eventually.

For now, though, whatever they had already he was content with.

  

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Quill woke up at the sound of ruffling blankets, as if someone was tossing and turning without reprieve.  He cracked his eyes open to try and see what was happening, and with the hallway light he’d left on overnight for his guests shining into his room, he was able to make out Loki almost thrashing in his brother’s arms on the bed he’d made up earlier.

Quill almost had half a mind to lean over and poke Thor awake to deal with Loki’s apparent nightmares, but before he could do so, Thor moved one of his hands from his brother’s waist to stroke Loki’s head slowly.  Thor had already been awoken by the erratic movement against him, and all Quill could do was watch as Loki gave a violent jerk before he cried out, “Thor…!” 

“Shh…” Thor’s movements never faltered as he tugged his brother tighter against him.  “I’m here… Go back to sleep… Shh, shh…” 

Loki whimpered for a few moments before he rolled over and nuzzled his face against his brother’s throat.  His body eventually fell still, but Thor’s hand never stopped caressing through that black hair, not even after he’d fallen back asleep.

Quill couldn’t get back to sleep, though.  The alarm clock told him it was four-thirty, so to spare the chance of waking the other two up, he grabbed his phone and crept past them as quietly as he could.  He woke Rocket, who was sleeping against Thor’s back, but the raccoon stayed where he was. 

Quill left for the living room.  He curled up on the couch and turned the TV on, lowering the volume as much as he could to not wake anyone else up, as he drifted off into deep thought. 

He wasn’t surprised to have seen Loki endure such vivid nightmares.  Quill had been there himself, and now he realised why Thor had been insistent on sleeping with Loki rather than share Quill’s bed; he knew Loki was going to wake up terrified of his unfamiliar surroundings.  He felt bad for them both; Loki for suffering, and Thor for being presumably the only person Loki had and having to deal with it all on his own. 

But there was little Quill could do for either of them; Thor never talked about his problems and always carefully steered the conversations away when they became too personal, and Loki barely spoke two words to anyone but his brother.  If that would ever change down the track, he didn’t know, but for now, Thor seemed to want everything kept inside. 

It was something Quill could relate to, not wanting to talk about his problems. It had taken him many years of therapy before he could begin opening up to others, but he’d been so much younger than Thor and Loki when he’d been put into foster care, and if this had been going on for Thor’s entire twenty-four years, he hated to think it could be too late for them.

Early morning TV sucked balls, and the last thing he wanted was to sit there and stare at infomercials when he was already feeling like shit, so he got up and moved to their DVD shelf to watch a movie instead.  It hadn’t been playing for long before footsteps approached the couch and Quill was looking into Loki’s exhausted face. “Hey.” 

Loki nodded in response, but he didn’t move; he continued to stand in the doorway, as if he weren’t sure if he was allowed to come any further or not.  “...”

Quill shrugged.  “You can sit if you want.  Wherever you like. You can even sit next to me, bro.  I’m not gonna bite.” 

Loki hesitated, but slowly he stepped forward until he was sitting on the other end of the couch, as far away from Quill as he could get.  His hands fumbled together in his lap as he stared at his feet, seemingly not knowing what to do with himself.

Quill rubbed at his eyes itching from tiredness.  “We’re watching Footloose. Have you seen it?” 

Loki shook his head.  “...” 

“Oh, come on!” Quill slapped his knee in good nature, but he quickly wished he hadn’t at the way Loki jumped and started shaking.  He made a conscious effort to calm himself as he continued. “It’s only the greatest movie in the world!” 

Loki was frowning at Quill now.  His eyes looked pained as he whispered, “Am I allowed to watch…?”

Quill felt his stomach churn at the question, but he did his best to remain neutral.  “Yeah, bro. This is my favourite movie. I like to watch it when I feel down.”

Loki’s frown grew, but he nodded as he turned to look at the TV now.  “...” 

“Do you want anything to eat?  It’s still early… But I can make you breakfast now if you’d like,” Quill offered.  “Or a drink? You like coffee?”

Loki shook his head again.  He licked his lips before he whispered, “Tea…” 

Quill got up and went to the kitchen to make Loki a tea, and when he gave it to the other, he murmured, “Bro, you don’t need to ask for anything here.  You can make yourself at home; Yondu and I don’t really care what you do as long as you don’t burn the place down.” 

Loki looked at his lap again as he accepted the drink.  His fingers twitched before he hesitantly whispered, “My brother’s friends tell me the same…  But I do not feel like they accept me like they accept Thor… So I sit quietly on their couch and wait until we go home…” 

“Nah, man, not here; you do what you want here.  All my friends do. Drax eats us out of food every time he’s around, I swear.” 

Loki nodded once more.  It took him a while to be able to lift his gaze upwards to the TV again, but eventually, he murmured, “Thor will wake up soon…  He always gets up early…” 

“Cool, we’ll have breakfast when he does.  You like pancakes, Loki?” 

“They are okay…  Our mother used to make them  for us...”

“Used to?” Was Quill delving into forbidden territory now?  He didn’t know. 

“She… died…  When I was younger…” Loki closed his eyes as if to hold back a tidal wave of pain.  

“What?  But Thor talks about her,” Quill muttered.  “We were talking about her just the other day.”

“He means our step-mother; it’s easier for him to omit that particular title - people don’t usually question the technicalities of biological parents…” Loki wiped at his eyes.  “He doesn’t like thinking about what happened to her, is all… I suppose he also never told you I am his adopted brother? He never tells anyone that, the fool…” 

“He didn’t,” Quill agreed, “but he loves you all the same.  I wish I had a big brother like Thor.” 

Loki chanced a look at Quill again.  “People usually ask if we are really brothers the day they meet me…  We are just so different… You are the first person to never question our relationship…”

“Dude, I don’t care if someone is adopted or what; I like people for who they are and not how they are related to people.  There’s no shame in being adopted; Yondu is my foster father, and Drax is the only one of our group who  _ isn’t  _ adopted.  I’m an asshole, but not enough to judge someone on whether or not their parents are in the picture.”

“You are kind to me…” Loki ducked his head again and tensed, as if it were too difficult a concept for him to grasp that there were people  _ besides  _ his brother who would treat him with decency.  

“What is it with you two?  Calling me  _ kind _ of all things…”  Quill shook his head.  He got to his feet to go have a shower before Thor awoke.  “You keep watching Footloose so we can talk about it over breakfast.  It’s amazing.” 

Loki looked absolutely stunned at Quill’s words, as if he’d expected anything  _ but  _ someone wanting to hold an actual, proper conversation with him.  He watched Quill leave in silence, his brain unable to process anything else at this moment.  

Quill didn’t take long in the shower; it was a little past six am by the time he got out and went to his room to fetch clothing.  Thor had disappeared already, and once he’d gotten dressed, he found both of them on the couch, watching the movie in contentment. 

“I don’t have any classes today,” Quill announced as he came to join them on the couch.  He allowed Thor to sweep him into one arm and hold him close; it was just how the guy was, and he had no intention of changing it.  “What about you guys?” 

“I have none until tonight, but Loki has classes all day,” Thor replied.  He pulled Loki closer to him as if he hated the thought of his brother being away from him.  He probably  _ did,  _ Quill was coming to learn.  

“I don’t want to go to classes today, Thor,” Loki murmured.  “I’m too tired…” 

Thor dragged one of his massive hands through his brother’s long hair.  “Father will not approve.”

“He does not have to know if you don’t  _ tell  _ him,  _ jerk _ ,” Loki hissed.  

“Hey, hey, it’s cool,” Quill interjected before anything else could be said; he hadn’t expected Loki turning on Thor so suddenly, but he got it; he used to be short-tempered like that as well until he’d been given help and treatment for his anger issues.  “If you’re tired, you’re tired. We can go do something today. Just… No more parties. Cool?” 

Thor chuckled.  He reached out to caress Quill’s cheek with his palm.  “I agree; I will never ask anyone to come to another party for my sake again.” 

“Sweet, what do we wanna do?  Wanna go catch a movie or something?” 

“We need breakfast first.” Thor rubbed his stomach.  “I’m starving!” 

“Dude, you ate three pizzas on your own last night.   _ How  _ are you still hungry?” 

“I have a healthy appetite.” Thor grinned.  “May we go out for breakfast, Quill? It would be a nice change for us.  I will pay; do not worry.” 

“Yeah, sure.  Where do you want to eat?” 

“There is a cafe that Stark and Banner have taken us to,” Thor explained.  “It is out of the way… But we can do stuff after if you wish; I would like to go shopping if we have the chance.” 

Quill nodded.  “Yeah, cool. Wanna take public transport?  It’s probably going to be fucked driving there at this time of morning.” 

Thor looked at his brother.  “Loki?”

Loki shook his head and hid behind Thor.  Quill needn’t be told anything else; he said, “I don’t mind driving.  Do we wanna go now?”

“Yes, before I die from hunger.” Thor’s eyes crinkled under the weight of his smile.  

“You could eat an entire cow by yourself and still be hungry, my dude,” Quill murmured.  He went to find his car keys, but he stopped when he felt Thor grab his wrist and turn him back around to face him.  “Thor?” 

Thor’s lips were just so gentle against Quill’s.  It was different to their kiss from last night; it was deeper, and though it took a few seconds for their lips to part and let the other inside, soon their tongues danced together as Thor raised his hand to cup Quill’s face and pull him in closer.  

Quill smirked into the kiss when Thor pressed their bodies together and he could feel the other’s half-hard arousal already.  His eyes closed as he withheld a moan; he could only imagine how often Thor would want to be sleeping with him if he were so quickly aroused by the littlest of things.

An awkward cough from their sides broke them apart, and Thor gave a sheepish grin to his brother.  “Sorry, brother; I got carried away.” 

“That’s… okay…?” Loki cocked his head to the side as he tried to process what had happened.  It must have been a  _ very  _ recent development between the two as Thor would always blurt these kinds of things to him the second they were alone.  

It wasn’t a horrible thing, Quill had taught Loki this morning; Quill already treated them both  _ much  _ better than some of the other people his brother had tried to date, so at the very least, Thor’s taste in partners was getting better.

Quill cleared his throat as well.  He looked to Thor. “Dude… You wanna tell him?” 

Thor’s grin widened as he turned to Loki, and with all the excitement someone could muster at six-thirty in the morning, he exclaimed, “Quill and I would like to date, brother!” 

Loki gave an uncomfortable smile as he avoided even his brother’s eyes now.  Thor wasn’t worried, and Quill knew that Loki’s behaviour  _ probably  _ wasn’t anything to be  _ too  _ concerned over if Thor wasn’t fussing over him like the overprotective brother he was. 

“Right, let me get my keys and we can go.” Quill fought back a yawn as he went to his bedroom to find his keys, and with that, he started their journey into town.

* * *

 

Thor had had his concerns on inviting Quill to his home that night; the last thing he wanted was to expose someone he cared about so dearly to his family when he and Loki were already so afraid to go home at all.  When he had expressed his concerns to Quill about it, it was times like these Quill was glad Thor knew the people he did; with one call to Tony Stark, he and Bruce had rocked up on their doorstep and invited themselves over, knowing Odin wouldn’t dare do anything with two highly respected people around to see what went on in his home.  

It worked out so well, Thor’s parents avoided them all  _ and  _ the three of them received expert help with their assignments.  But, as the night got longer and the two of them retired to their designated couches, Quill hoped their mere presence would be enough of a deter to keep them undisturbed for the rest of the night.

It had just ticked over ten o’clock when Loki announced he was going to take a shower and then go to sleep.  Thor, who was still stuck with Quill on one of their essays, smiled at him and nodded. They went back to their question, trying to put their heads together and decipher how exactly they were supposed to interpret their instructions.

“Ah…” Thor dropped his face into his hands after what had almost been ten minutes.  “I may need to wake Stark or Banner for this…”

From outside the bedroom door, Loki’s frightened voice called out.  “Stark?!”

They turned to look at the door, and while Thor got up to see what was going on, Quill muttered, “Looks like Loki’s on it for you, bro.” 

Thor opened the door and poked his head out.  Quill stood to follow him, and he was just in time to see Thor’s eyes narrow and his grip on the door handle tighten.  His voice, though still gentle, held a firmness in it Quill had only heard a handful of times - and only ever when he had been pushed.  “What are you doing, Hela…? He is minding his own business; leave him alone.” 

Quill’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the woman standing before them.  Her hair was long and black like Loki’s, and her makeup reminded him heavily of a goth.  He said nothing as he looked to the stairs next at the sounds of two sets of footsteps ascending them; he just watched in silence as the events unfolded before him.

“I have no idea what you are talking about; I simply… gave him some advice.” The smirk on her face didn’t falter, not even when Tony and Bruce arrived at the top of the staircase in time to see the way she shoved Loki at Thor so hard, he lost his footing and dropped his towel to the ground.  She whistled. “He’s a big boy. Too bad he never uses it.”

Thor was on his knees in seconds to gather the towel and cover his brother up, and once that was dealt with, he helped Loki back to his feet.  Quill had never seen him look so angry as he put his hand on Loki’s shoulder and growled, “Do not touch him again…” 

Hela laughed.  “You’re too much of a pushover to do anything for him.  No… I take that back; anyone  _ else  _ and you’d have them on the ground bloodied already.  But you’re weak-hearted when it comes to females; you never could bring yourself to hit one, no matter  _ what  _ they did.”

“I would never strike a woman…” Thor snarled.  By his side, his hands clenched into fists. “But you touch my brother again, Hela, and you  _ will _ regret it.”

Quill stepped back when Bruce had come forward to take Loki into the bedroom and over to his wardrobe. He listened as Bruce murmured for Loki to get dressed, and once Tony started having his say, Quill came to stand by Bruce’s side to get away from the conflict; this was bringing back emotions and memories he  _ really  _ didn’t want to feel right now. 

“She’s a fuckin’ bitch,” Quill spat.  He saw the way Loki’s hands shook as he worked to dress himself, and all he wanted was to get back out there and give her a piece of his mind - but getting on the bad side of Thor’s family was certainly something he should avoid at all costs, he knew.  

“Yeah…” Bruce rubbed his face.  “Tony’s going to get into her and then Odin will be back out and it’s just going to be a mess…  This happens a lot. We have to do this all the time for them or else they’d be abused daily.” 

“Is she their step-mother?” 

“Thor’s sister, and nothing like Thor at all.  She’s so horrible to them both…” 

Quill’s eyes went back to Loki, and he felt sick as he realised that Loki’s body was in even worse condition than Thor’s. “Is she why they are both so bruised and battered?” 

“Half the reason…  Odin… gets drunk a lot...” Bruce whispered. He fell silent as the loud shouting he recognised as Odin’s joined the fray now.  

“This is messed up…” Quill moved to stand by Loki’s side now.  He ignored the way Loki refused to look at him as he said, “Bro, I’ve got your back here.  You’re safe here with us.” 

Loki’s trembling only worsened as Odin’s yelling got louder until he’d appeared through the doorway.  He looked at his feet as he submitted completely.

“Loki!” Odin roared.  Quill could tell how his voice slurred just enough to suggest that he was drunk or close to it.  “What trouble have you started now?!” 

“Hey, he didn’t start anything; back off!” Quill yelled. He saw Thor and Tony rushing around Odin to stand in front of Loki like a shield, and he was glad Loki had  _ someone  _ who cared enough to want to protect him.  “ _ She  _ was the one starting shit!” 

Quill didn’t see the way Loki’s jaw dropped in shock at his words because he was so focused on Odin charging forward.  “How dare you accuse my daughter of -!”

Thor’s fist swung out and connected with Odin’s cheekbone. He looked fearless as he stared down his own father and growled, “Have care how you speak to my friends, Father…”

Odin’s hand shot forward and his fingers wrapped around Thor’s throat in response. They squeezed tight, but they didn’t relent even as Thor wheezed and choked beneath him.

“Father, no!” Loki cried out as he tried to approach to get the man’s hand from off his brother. 

“Hey!” Bruce yelled, his expression twisted from fury.  “Let go of him!” 

Tony was strong enough to disentangle the hand from Thor’s throat, and once he’d forced his friend behind him, he snarled, “You lay  _ one finger _ , breathe  _ one word  _ to the kid, and I’ll have his family and the whole world know exactly what you are, Odin. Whatever you do to me in return would be worth it. For what you just did here…. Don’t be surprised if people start speculating.  I’m not threatening you, by the way.” 

Odin’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly before he retreated back to where he had come from.  Thor rubbed his throat as he looked around at everyone. “Is everyone alright…?”

Everyone nodded. Loki clung to his brother desperately as he trembled, and Quill murmured, “You guys need to get out of here…” 

“We have tried,” Bruce whispered.  “He pays off anyone who investigates, and the last time we tried to take Loki and keep him with us, we almost got done for kidnapping; he’s still only seventeen, Peter…” 

“Thor won’t leave him,” Tony added on.  “He knows he could stay with us but he won’t leave without Loki.  Hell, we tried buying them a house but Odin wouldn’t let Loki leave.” 

Quill jumped in surprise at the crash that came from behind him. He turned around, and the last thing he expected was to see Thor’s first through the drywall as he hugged Loki tightly in one arm and sobbed.  

“Thor…” Bruce gently pulled Thor’s hand out of the wall to examine it.  He shook his head as he looked around for something to stop the bleeding with.  “Thor, you’ve punched the stud, sweetie…” 

“If that old bastard thinks we’re leaving tomorrow, he’s got another thing coming…” Tony growled.  “Banner, clean him up and come back to the couch. We’ve got a lot to discuss…” 

Quill sat back at the desk and moved on from the question they’d been stuck on to distract himself from the way Bruce was looking after the other two.  He could hear Loki sobbing quietly to himself, Thor’s soft whispers to his brother and Bruce’s murmuring as he taped Thor’s injured hand.

Quill said nothing until Bruce had bid them all goodnight and went back downstairs, and with that, he turned around to see what the other two were doing.  Thor was laying quietly with Loki as he rubbed his brother’s back, seemingly trying to get him into sleep. His eyes met with Thor’s, and he felt as if he were drowning in the oceans of emotion staring back at him.  

“You good, bro?” Quill’s voice was softer than usual.  He nodded when he received a tiny smile in return, knowing not to push it;  _ he  _ wouldn’t want to talk about what had happened so quickly, either.  “Alright. I’m trying to finish our work. We can go to bed whenever.”

“I am not tired,” Thor whispered.  Quill believed him; he was most likely too worked up to sleep.  “If you would like to sleep, I will join you as soon as Loki is asleep, too.”

Quill couldn’t deny he  _ was  _ feeling tired now that the adrenaline was leaving him.  He nodded. “I’ll lay down for a bit and see if I can sleep.”

While Quill couldn’t manage to fall asleep, Loki eventually did, and soon enough, Thor was joining him in bed.  Quill moved over to make room for him, and he barely had time to register the warmth of Thor’s body against his before he was pulled into an almost desperate kiss.

Quill closed his eyes and rolled onto his back when he felt hands push at his shoulders to lay him down.  He reached up to grip the other’s broad shoulders as their kiss deepened and Thor’s weight settled on top of him.  

The kiss intensified, with far more emotion in it than Quill had ever really experienced with any of his other partners, but no matter how needy Thor became with his intimacy, the gentleness never left.  

They broke apart, and though the room was dark, there was enough light streaming in through the uncovered window to be able to stare into each other’s eyes.  They felt the thin string of saliva that kept their lips connected, but neither of them cared to remove it. 

Thor’s whisper was soft.  “I am so sorry you had to witness that, Quill…  Please, forgive me for involving you in it…”

Quill shook his head.  He raised his hand to touch Thor’s cheek.  “Don’t worry about it; if we weren’t here, he’d probably have walloped the both of you.  I’m just glad you’re both mostly okay.” 

A tiny smile graced Thor’s face.  He kissed Quill’s forehead as he dragged his fingertips down Quill’s chest and to his stomach.  “We would be okay; it is not the first time he has strangled me for punching him.” 

Quill hummed.  He brushed a long strand of gold behind Thor’s ear.  “Still, I feel better knowing neither of you got the shit kicked out of you.” 

Thor chuckled.  He nuzzled his face against Quill’s throat, and ever-so-gently, he kissed the soft flesh.  His hands rested on the hem of Quill’s shirt. “I care for you very much, Quill. I would like to show you my affections if that is alright.” 

“You’re too polite.  Just do what you want; I’d tell you if you did something I didn’t like.” 

With that, Thor reached out and unbuttoned Quill’s shirt as he pressed his lips once more to the other’s throat and kissed.  

Quill kept his eyes closed, and he moved his hand to tangle into Thor’s hair as he enjoyed the ministrations.  He felt Thor’s mouth travel downwards, kissing every inch of flesh it could find on its way, until it had wrapped itself around one of his nipples.  

“S-shit…” Quill did his best to suck in a breath as quietly as he could, but it was hard to focus when he felt the edge of teeth nibble so tenderly at his nub, the irritation left behind soothed by a wet tongue that swirled circles into his heated flesh.  “Thor…”

Thor sucked the worried nub before he lifted his mouth and whispered, “Do not wake Loki, please.” 

Quill shook his head.  He gasped when he felt his other nub receive the same treatment, this time a hand coming to hold his own.  He made out the feel of medical tape against his hand, and it made his heart stutter to realise all Thor wanted from him was his affections returned.  He felt another hand rub circles into his stomach before it dragged itself to the hem of his pants and fell still. Thor nibbled for a few more seconds before he raised his head again.  “Is it okay, Quill…? May I…?” 

“You talk too much,” was all Quill could manage to sputter out as he grabbed Thor’s hand and placed it firmly on his hardening arousal.  

Thor let out a breathy moan at the spike of desire that flooded through him.  His breathing had become so heavy, he had to close his eyes and try to calm himself before he could continue on with what he had wanted to do.  His now-shaking fingers unzipped Quill’s pants, and he slid them downwards to reveal the arousal he had been wanting to taste for a while now.

Thor moaned again before he dropped his head and engulfed the erection in one swift movement.  

Quill’s hips bucked and stuttered, and he dropped his hand over his mouth to bite into it so he didn’t cry out.  He squeezed his eyes shut tight; it had been so long since he’d been in this situation, he felt almost overwhelmed.  

Thor was glad he’d done this so many times before or else he was sure he’d have choked by now; Quill’s length was long, but he had enough experience to be able to open his throat properly and accommodate it.  He hummed softly to send vibrations through the arousal, and every time his nose buried into Quill’s pubic hair, he held himself still so he could swirl his tongue all around the base and ghost his teeth over the sensitive flesh, enjoying the way his breathing was all but cut off as he did so.

Quill was shaking, and his teeth were digging deeper into his hand at the effort it was taking to keep quiet. He needed so badly to moan, to cry out, to let his pleasure be known, but all he could do instead was allow tears to roll down his cheeks as he felt the coil in his stomach come ever closer to snapping. 

Thor dragged his mouth back to Quill’s tip so he could gather the beads of pre-cum on his tongue and swallow.  His breathing was so ragged, and he needed desperately to slip his hand inside his own pants and stroke as well, but that could come later; right now was all about showing Quill how much Thor cared about him. 

Quill’s body writhed as his teeth dug ever further into his hand.  He pulled it away to whimper, “T-Thor, I-I’m…!” 

Thor hummed in response as he readied himself for it.  He slid Quill’s shirt up and out of the way as he angled the arousal at Quill’s stomach. When he tasted the first drops on his tongue, he pulled his mouth away and wrapped his hand around the base to pump as he watched Quill spill all over himself.  He moaned. 

When Quill came down from his high, he panted, “You don’t swallow?” 

“Oh, I do.” Thor winked before he laid himself down between Quill’s legs and rubbed his fingers through his release to spread it over his lover’s tummy.  He then lapped up every last drop that had been spilled, his hips rocking slowly against Quill’s leg as he did so. He licked his lips when he was satisfied with how well he had cleaned his lover, and with that, he leant up for another kiss. 

Quill broke the kiss to whisper, “Come here…” 

Thor shuffled forward like an eager kid and held his breath as Quill’s hand grabbed his zipper, but before he could lower it, they both froze as they heard Loki roll over and murmur, “Thor…?” 

Thor swallowed so heavily, Quill could hear it.  His voice shook as he called back, “It is alright, Loki; go back to sleep…”

Loki mumbled something indistinguishable before he rolled over again and fell silent. 

Thor cleared his throat as he pushed Quill’s hand away and whispered, “I do not require anything except your affections, Quill…  You are enough for me. I should not have done this with my brother in the room…” 

Quill shook his head.  He pressed his hand forward again to return to Thor’s clothed bulge. He curled his fingers into it, and as soon as Thor’s hips bucked into his touch, he whispered, “You need this for stress relief at the very least.  It’s okay.” 

Thor closed his eyes tight and gasped for breath as his hips continued to rock.  A groan escaped his lips as he came heavily inside his pants. He grabbed Quill’s shoulders and squeezed as he rode out his orgasm, but his eyes snapped open when he felt fingers slide past the hem of his pants to dip into his ejaculate.  “Quill…?” 

Quill hummed as his fingers continued to poke around until he was satisfied with the sticky coating on his fingers.  He pulled them back out and pressed them past his lips so he could stare Thor in the eyes as he made a show of sucking them clean.  

Thor groaned, louder this time.  “Quill…”

Quill chuckled.  He pulled his fingers back out and whispered, “You should know that I can be  _ very  _ dirty when I get into the mood, babe.  Now go to sleep; I’m going to enjoy myself here.” 

Thor felt breathless as he nodded.  He felt fingers invade his pants once again, and he reached out to unzip them to make the journey easier.  He leant up to kiss Quill before he laid on his back and spread his legs wider. His eyes closed as he tried to drift off.

Quill watched Thor’s face as his fingers went to and from his lips.  He’d almost thought Thor had drifted off before he was startled by a whisper coming from him.  

“Thank you for still wanting me…” Thor sounded half-asleep, but his eyelid cracked open to look at Quill.  “I was afraid you would leave if you knew…” 

Quill’s hand froze in Thor’s pants.  He looked down, not knowing how to respond.  He racked his brains, but he knew he was taking too long to respond, so he hummed and said the first thing to come to mind.  “It’s not your fault, bro.” 

Thor’s response was much more dreamy, and Quill wondered if he was even aware he’d replied.  “It is, though…” 

Thor was asleep, Quill knew, so he pulled his hand away and cuddled in close against the warm body insistent on holding him in one arm.  He closed his eyes as well and decided the best thing for him to do was to forget he ever heard that last bit and wait for Thor to decide if he ever wanted to tell Quill in full consciousness.  


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just noticed now how few tags I've placed on this story. I really feel there should be more warnings tagged. If anyone can think of anything that should be tagged as such, especially for this chapter, please alert me so I can fix them; I'm really not sure what to tag so soon into this story.

Quill hated the days he had classes alone.  They weren’t long days; just two classes and then he could go home, but still…  He hated being alone for even a moment. It was probably why, when he noticed Bruce Banner sitting in the study area alone with an hour until Quill’s next class, Quill decided to go and sit with him.  

“Hey, dude.” Quill took a seat opposite Bruce and dumped his bag onto the floor.  “Just you today, too?”

Bruce gave one of his shy smiles he was so well known for as he nodded.  “Yes… Tony doesn’t take this class with me.”

“I know the feeling; I’m alone today, too.  Got an hour to kill before class.”

Bruce nodded politely before he murmured, “Thor told us you’re dating…  Is it true?”

“Yeah.  Been together… three weeks now?” Quill leant down to get a chocolate bar from his bag as he continued.  “Haven’t had a chance to fuck properly, though. That’s a bit disappointing.”

Bruce’s cheeks flushed, and he looked away for a moment before he whispered, “If it’s because of privacy, you can always stop by our place…”

Quill snorted.  “Creepy, dude. But thanks anyway; I’ll bring it up with Thor when I see him next.”

Bruce closed his laptop lid so he could observe Quill easier.  “Loki likes you. It’s a first.”

“What?  Hate to break it to him, but I’m not interested in fucking him.” Quill took another bite out of his chocolate bar.

“No, no…  I mean, he actually _likes_ you - as a friend.  He doesn’t warm up to people, especially so soon.  He’s comfortable with _me_ out of our friends…  But I don’t think he considers us friends.  He thinks we just tolerate him for Thor’s sake…  But he really considers _you_ as his friend; Thor was telling us he’s been talking about you a lot.”

“I feel… weirdly privileged,” Quill acknowledged.  

“He’s a good kid; he just hasn’t had it easy,” Bruce murmured tenderly.  “Have you had any trouble off Odin or his wife?”

“No; I think he’s scared I’ll run to Stark if they anything to me.”

Bruce chuckled.  “I’m glad Thor chose you.  He’s more than deserving of you.”

Quill nodded in agreement.  He pulled his own laptop out of his bag so he could catch up with homework as well.  

Once he had finished his classes for the day, he went out to his car and sat in the driver’s seat as he pulled his phone from his pocket and texted Thor.

_\-  miss u baby.  wat u up 2 -_

Thor never failed to reply back within seconds when things were okay in his house, and now was no exception.   _\- LOKI IS HELPING ME FIX MY LAPTOP.  :) -_

_\- cool bro.  wanna c a movie or something tonite -_

_\- SORRY I CANNOT TONIGHT BUT YOU ARE WELCOME TO COME OVER.  FATHER WILL NOT BE HOME AND HELA LEAVES SOON :) -_

Well, with an offer like that, Quill couldn’t possibly turn it down.  Now all that was needed was for Loki to decide to sleep on the couch for some reason and they could - No.  He shouldn’t think like that; it was nobody’s fault they couldn’t get enough privacy to do much more than they already did.  

_\- k baby. b there soon.  ill bring food. -_

_\- LOVE YOU SWEETHEART :) -_

Quill didn’t respond to the text; he put his keys in the ignition and made his way to Thor’s. He stopped to get fish and chips on his way, but once he’d parked outside the mansion and Thor had let him in, he sat at the desk and divided the food into three portions.

“So what happened to your laptop?” Quill asked before he popped a piece of fish into his mouth.  

Thor opened his mouth to respond, but from where Loki sat on his bed with Thor’s laptop next to him, the boy interjected.  “He went to too many shady porn sites and now his computer is broken.”

Thor looked to his lap as his face flushed. “Loki…”

Quill laughed good-naturedly.  “It’s alright, bro. I look at them, too.  What kind of porn are you into?”

Thor’s face darkened as he shyly fumbled his hands together. “...”

“No, wait, I got a better question.” Quill looked to Loki now.  “Do you care he gets himself off in the same room as you?”

Loki shrugged.  “I’m always asleep when he does; he never does it in front of me, so I don’t really care.  I know he’s gotta do it, so I just don’t want him to wake me up as he does it.”

“That’s good, because we -“ Quill was cut off by Thor’s giant hand slapping over his mouth to quieten him.

“Quill…!” Thor had never sounded as embarrassed as he did right now.  

Quill chuckled.  He pulled Thor’s hand away so he could murmur, “Guess he doesn’t want you to know he lets me finger him, Loki.”

Loki flushed scarlet and turned back to the laptop.  Thor kissed Quill’s cheek and whispered, despite his embarrassment, “I do…  And it is great. It will be your turn tonight if you stay.”

Quill couldn’t pass up an offer like that.  He nodded. “Is your sis coming back tonight?”

“No, she is busy with a client, she said.” Thor sounded over the moon about this, and it was now Quill realised why he and Loki were both in such good moods; knowing they would have the house to themselves would have been Christmas come early for them.  “She will not be home until tomorrow night.”

“Cool, we can do stuff then.”

“Yes, of course, but first I would like a shower.” Thor kissed Quill’s temple and caressed his cheek with his thumb.  

That was how the night went; Thor and Loki had had their showers, and after, they settled down to watch a movie on Loki’s laptop (Thor’s was still out of order, no matter how hard Loki tried).  It had been peaceful, but that was before the doorbell rang and Thor excused himself to see who it was.

“Who the hell knocks on your door at nine-thirty at night?” Quill looked at Loki, and he wasn’t surprised when he received a shrug in response.

It was Thor yelling from downstairs that alerted them to the fact that something was wrong.  Quill stood to investigate, but Loki grabbed his arm and stopped him from leaving. “Don’t… Thor can handle himself.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t yell, bro; someone’s pissed him off in the thirty seconds he’s been gone,” Quill pointed out.

Loki bit his lip.  He nodded. “Stay here. I will see if he needs help.”

Quill did as asked. He stayed on the bed and listened as the yelling got closer, and all Quill could think was that he was glad Thor rarely got angry because he was like a thunderstorm right now.

It sounded as if a group of people were climbing the stairs now, and Quill could begin making out what was being said.

“You are _not_ whoring my brother out, Hela!” Thor roared.  “I do _not care_ how much he will pay you!”

“Come on, man, one hour with him,” was an unfamiliar voice Quill knew he’d never heard before.  “I’ll suck your cock if you let me.”

Thor’s voice quietened as he addressed Loki.  “Go back to our room, Loki. It will be okay.”

Hela was home, Quill could hear.  He pulled his knees to his chest, glad that Hela didn’t seem to know that he was here; all this yelling was really starting to take a toll on him emotionally, and he couldn’t help but feel like that scared little kid from his childhood.  

Everything was quiet, and Quill could hear one set of footsteps approaching the room - Loki, most likely.  But whatever relief Quill had felt at that knowledge vanished when he heard a yelp, and then a ferocious roar from Thor as something heavy hit the wall.

Quill slapped his hands over his ears instinctively as he made out the familiar sounds of someone being pummelled, the yelling and shouting and absolute chaos, but he couldn’t sit there any longer and wonder what was happening; he had to see it and reassure himself it wasn’t aimed at him or else he was going to break down.

By the time Quill made it to the doorway to peek out, he was just in time to hear Thor scream his brother’s name as Loki started coughing horribly and was thrown over the stair railings.  Quill didn’t miss the fresh blood that had splattered to the ground where Loki had been standing seconds earlier, but he didn’t have time to ponder what had happened; Thor had charged forward to try and catch his brother, but all he had accomplished was crashing Hela, the man and himself through the railings and down three storeys.

Quill moved his hand to his mouth as he gasped. He stumbled over to the broken railings to look down, and he was horrified at what he saw; the man, unmoving with his back bent at a horrible angle from the table he had fallen into. Hela, twitching as blood pooled around her, and Thor, blood flowing rapidly down the side of his face as he crouched by his unmoving brother, trying to stop the blood rolling out from under his hand he had pressed Loki’s throat.

Quill’s hands hadn’t trembled so violently in years as he pulled his phone from his pocket and called for an ambulance.  As he shakily explained the situation and stumbled his way down the stairs, he was unaware of the tears rolling down his cheeks until he was by Thor’s side, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly.

It was the first time in years Quill had felt so emotionally overwhelmed, but he had to remind himself; nothing that had happened tonight was his fault.

No; it just felt like it was because he should have been out there helping Thor and Loki.

* * *

 

“Kid, you alright?”

Quill looked up as he heard Tony Stark’s voice in the waiting room of the hospital.  His expression was dazed as he watched him and Bruce approach; had they found out what had happened somehow, or were they here for something else?  “...Y-yeah…”

Nothing else was said until the two men had sat either side of Quill.  Tony folded his arms against his chest, and Bruce put his hand tentatively on Quill’s shoulder.  

“We heard…” Bruce murmured.  “You doing okay?”

Quill nodded.  He licked his lips before he whispered, “How’d you find out…?”

“We have friends in the police force, one the police chief inspector and the other a detective,” Bruce said softly.  “They shouldn’t have told us about it, but they called us while they were investigating and asked us to check up on you.”

Quill nodded dumbly.  “...”

Tony took a deep breath.  “They told us what they found.  What happened in there, kid?”

“I don’t know!” Quill exclaimed truthfully.  “I was in their room. Thor started yelling, and Loki went out to see what it was about, and then…  I don’t… _know_ …  Stop asking me!  Everyone _else_ kept quizzing me over it!   _I don’t know_!”

Tony and Bruce shared a look with each other.  Bruce responded. “We believe you; we really do, Peter.  We know what Thor’s family is like. They all have screws loose - even Thor.  He’s a really great guy, but… Sometimes he just loses it… What we _don’t_ believe is what Hela and her friend told the police; Thor isn’t like that.”

“What did they say…?” Quill pulled his knees to his chest.  He wished he’d just gone home, hadn’t gone over there and had said he was too busy.  He could have been at home studying, oblivious to what had happened. He could… have gone to sleep peacefully while four people died slowly and painfully…

God, he was such a horrible person…

Neither man replied for several moments, but when Tony did, there was a hint of fury in his voice, as if he were disgusted someone could accuse his friend of such matters.  “They said Thor had the knife and attacked _them_ \- attacked _Loki,_ Quill.  They said he just went mad and then tried taking them all with him when he went through the railings.”

“No…” Quill shook his head.  “No, _Hela_ had the knife - I _saw_ it.   _She_ threw Loki over the railing; Thor tried to catch him but he knocked the other two down as well when he crashed through.”

“Did you tell the police this?” Bruce asked.

Quill shook his head.  “I didn’t tell them _anything_ ; I don’t… want to be involved…”

“Quill, we _know_ it’s a stressful thing, but if you don’t speak up, Thor could be -”

“- I’ve _been_ through court battles before, Stark!” Quill snapped as fresh tears rolled down his cheeks.  “Against my own father! Having to talk about the shit he did to me for fourteen years! And it wasn’t just _one_ court date!  I had to go back over and over and over again telling everyone the same thing I told them five battles ago!  No! I never want to go through that again!”

Tony and Bruce shared one last look with each other before they looked away at the sound of the entrance doors sliding open.  Tony pecked Bruce’s forehead with his lips before he stood and muttered, “Rogers is here; I’ll fill him in.”

Bruce nodded.  He turned his attention back to Quill.  “Peter… We can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to…  But please, think it over… Your words could be the only thing that saves Thor’s hide…  If _Odin_ steps in…  Peter…”

Quill shook his head again as he wiped at his eyes.  “You have no idea… what it’s like to have to go through all that shit, Banner…  Please… It’s not that I don’t _want_ to…  I l-love him…  I _do_ love him, Banner!  But I… I _can’t_ do it all over again…  I can’t go back through all that…”

Bruce nodded.  He knew where Quill was coming from, and it was why he didn’t push any further; he just sat and watched as Steve hurried over and engulfed Quill in a hug.  

“What’s their conditions?  Does anybody know?” Steve had deep bags under his eyes, as if he’d been fast asleep before receiving the call.

“Hela and her friend?” Tony’s eyes narrowed, and he almost spat his words.  “Hela has a stab wound on her abdomen, and her friend’s back is broken.”

“What about Thor and Loki?” Steve held Quill tighter, as if he weren’t ready to hear the words.

“Thor’s concussed and doesn’t remember what happened.  He broke an arm and leg and smashed the side of his head against something pretty hard, and Loki still hasn’t woken up yet, but his…  His…” Tony couldn’t say the word, so he slid his finger slowly across his throat in hopes that Steve would understand.

Steve winced.  He still didn’t let go of Quill as he whispered, “I’ll stay here until we can go see them…  Let everybody know tomorrow?”

“No, keep it under wraps or else they’re all going to swarm the hospital and it’ll be the last thing Thor and Loki need,” Tony instructed.  He sat back down and spread himself out lazily. “We need some drinks…”

Quill hid his face in Steve’s chest, not caring that he didn’t know the man very well; it felt nice to feel so secure and _safe_ in such strong arms, and he didn’t care if it made him a horrible person; he slowly fell into a sleep, his dreams disturbed relentlessly by nightmares.  


	7. Chapter 7

When Quill had finally been able to get up the courage to see Thor, it had only been with Steve’s gentle reassurance he would come along for emotional support that he had been able to step through his boyfriend’s hospital room door.

Thor looked better than Quill had been expecting, all things considered.  His left arm was in a plaster cast, as was his left leg, slung up into the air.  A bandage was wrapped around his head and over his left eye, leaving no doubt in Quill’s mind he’d hit the ground  _ hard  _ on his left side.  His skin was ghostly pale, but his lips were tugged into a small smile at the sight of Quill and Steve, and he extended his right hand shakily towards them.

“You came…” Quill had never heard Thor sound so exhausted before.  

“Hey, Thor.” Steve smiled as he took a seat on one of the chairs.  “How do you feel?” 

“Better now that someone’s here with me.” Thor moved over to make room on the bed as Quill sat on the edge.  He leant into the warm hand that was brushing his long bangs out of his face, feeling himself relax. 

“Sorry, bro…” Quill sighed; there was no point in hiding it…  “I haven’t… been to see you yet because of my own shit I’m dealing with…” 

Thor shook his head.  He winced at the ringing in his head that had been coming and going before he whispered, “I imagine it was very hard for you…  I do not remember what happened; Stark told me you had been there. Are you okay?”

“Dude, you need to stop doing that; stop putting yourself before everyone else,” Quill scolded lightly.  “Clearly I’m fine… I’m not the one in hospital… Put yourself first for once, okay? You don’t  _ have  _ to act like such a perfect person all the time.  It’s okay to be flawed, man...” 

Thor’s hands twitched as an uncomfortable expression crossed his face.  Steve straightened up and tensed, as if he knew something was coming that Quill couldn’t expect.  

And then… Thor sobbed.  He raised his hands to his face as he whispered, “I was so flawed, I am the reason this happened to me and my brother, Quill…  I cannot… I cannot let it happen again…”

Steve stood and came to stand by the bed so he could take Thor’s hand.  He rubbed it, but he didn’t speak.

“It is exhausting, Quill…” Thor truly  _ did  _ look exhausted, and his eyes looked so empty, Quill was kicking himself for realising that maybe the reason Thor was always so impossibly caring was because he was running from something.  “I… I am so tired… of pretending to be stronger than I really am…” 

“You don’t have to pretend around us,” Quill whispered back.  “Just be yourself.” 

Thor shook his head again.  “I was myself when our mother was killed…  I cannot afford to be flawed and lose anyone else…”

“What do you mean?” Quill reached out to thread his fingers through Thor’s hair.  

“I did not stop him…” Thor’s tears came harder.  “I did not stop  _ anyone _ …  I watched, but I…  O-our mother, she… She got attacked…  I was so scared; there was so many of them…  And Loki tried to run. He run across the road, and I did not go after him.  I could only watch as he tripped and fell and the truck couldn’t stop in time.  Our mother… held more bravery than I did to get away from those men to shield Loki...”

“Thor…” Quill’s hand never stopped moving.  He shook his head. “It’s not your fault, man; you were  _ scared _ .” 

“So was our mother, but Loki is only alive because of her…  I could have been  _ alone,  _ Quill…  But my brother was spared and I lost my mother because of it…  It is why Odin has taken to treating us the way he does; he blames us for what happened…” 

“I  _ don’t  _ blame you, Thor,” Quill said with a little more force than was necessary.

“You should…  Because it is  _ my  _ fault my brother has to live in such pain…  I cannot afford to be flawed any more…” 

“Dude…” Quill had tears of his own rolling down his cheeks now, “...bad shit is going to happen no matter  _ how  _ you act, man…  It’s how life is!  For the longest time I fucking  _ hated  _ my life!  I go through my days  _ scared  _ and  _ depressed _ , so forgive me that I can be a complete asshole sometimes, bro!  ...But you didn’t do  _ anything  _ wrong.  You were  _ scared _ .  You had  _ good reason  _ to be.  And me…?  Thor… I’m such a fucking failure I’ve avoided you and everything that’s happened because I’ve been  _ selfish _ …  And you’re worried of  _ maybe  _ upsetting someone’s feelings just by being a little more sincere to yourself, bro…”

“Look at me, Thor…” Steve reached out and tilted Thor’s face towards his.  “We’ve told you the same thing; it’s  _ okay  _ to be weak and selfish sometimes…  You try so hard to make everyone happy so you can pretend you aren’t hurting and blaming yourself over a situation you had no control over.  You think you have to hold Loki and everyone else up before yourself, but you really don’t. You  _ know  _ you aren’t doing it alone because you have  _ us _ .  So stop shouldering everything on your own and let other people in to help lessen the burden.  Just… Just, for once in your life, Thor… Be  _ selfish,  _ will you?  The world will still see tomorrow if you take time off to look after yourself for once.” 

Thor shook his head as his tears came harder.  He dropped his head to Quill’s shoulder and clutched at his boyfriend’s jacket tightly.  “I do not… Do not deserve any of you…”

“Yes, you do,” Quill whispered.  “You  _ do  _ deserve us.  Now get some rest.  You can cry some more if you want.  I’ll lay the bed down for you.” 

Thor didn’t have the energy to argue; it had been so long since he’d allowed himself to cry like this, and he desperately needed it. 

Thor said nothing else as he pulled his blankets over him and made himself as comfortable as he could.  He allowed his tears to roll down his cheeks as he closed his eyes, and soon enough, with the comforting hand stroking through his long hair and over the top of his bandages, he fell asleep.

When Thor woke up again, Quill and Steve were still with him.  Steve was reading the newspaper in content silence on the other side of the room, and Quill was laying next to him, playing a game on his phone as he listened to his precious Walkman with his headphones over his ears.  

“Quill…?” Thor rolled over as best he could to tap Quill’s thigh and get his attention.  Quill immediately turned his Walkman off and hummed. 

“What’s up?” Quill went back to stroking his lover’s hair.  “All good?” 

Thor shook his head.  “Can you press the button, please?  I do not think my pain drip is working as well as it should be…” 

Quill hummed again and did as requested.  He stood up to stretch, having been laying for a while, and looked over to Steve.  The man looked so happy where he was, so content and at peace as if he were happy simply being near Thor and it was all he needed to enjoy himself. 

Quill hated himself though. He’d thought he’d gotten over his lack of confidence in himself and had grown to have just a tiny bit more self-love - but here he was, hating himself so much, he wanted to go home and curl up in his bed and let Thor find someone much better than  _ he  _ was. 

The nurses came before he could spend too much time on self-degradation, and he sat next to Steve as he watched in silence the way the nurse tended to him. 

“Can I see my brother again…?” Thor was still as exhausted as he had been earlier, and Quill sighed; when was the guy going to learn to put himself first for once? 

“Your brother went home this morning,” the nurse said softly as she took note of his vitals.

Steve jumped to his feet as Thor let out a distressed howl.  “Excuse me… Did you say he  _ went home?!”  _

”Yes, his father came and -“ 

Steve had never sounded so angry to Quill’s ears as he hissed, “That boy has a broken jaw, hip and shoulder and you sent him  _ home?!” _

The nurse buzzed for help as she backed up.  “Sir, please…. We -“

Thor let out a snarl as he pulled his broken leg from the sling and tried to stand.  He yelped as he fell to the ground, but with the adrenaline pumping through him, he couldn’t feel much of the pain.  “Not my  _ brother _ , damnit…!” 

More doctors arrived, and when they grabbed Thor to get him back into bed, he knocked them all away viciously, despite the state his body was in.  He yelled as he felt someone grab him from behind and restrain him, but he shrugged them off and kept going; someone had to get Loki away from Odin and Hela  _ now.  _

“Stay away from me!” Thor roared as he was swamped by people trying to restrain him.  “Get off!” 

He felt the prick of a needle in his skin as he was sedated, but no matter how hard he tried to fight it, his body quickly went limp and he was laid back on the bed. 

Steve grabbed Quill’s shoulder and murmured to him, “I’m going to check on Loki.  Can you stay here with him?” 

Quill nodded. He waited until the nurses had all cleared out before he approached Thor’s bed and took his hand again.  “Bro…. What do you think you can do to help Loki right now? Just stay here and rest.” 

“Quill, they will  _ hurt  _ him…!” Thor pleaded. “He  _ needs  _ me…!” 

“Maybe…” Quill sighed.  “...But you aren’t the  _ only  _ person Loki has.  There are  _ other  _ people he can trust and who want to help him.  You know that better than anyone.” 

Thor shook his head.  “He needs me, Quill…” 

“And you need  _ rest _ . You aren’t any use to anyone like this.  Rogers is going over there to check on him.  He isn’t  _ alone _ , Thor.  Trust that for once in your life, someone can look after your brother just as good as  _ you  _ can.” 

Thor fell silent now.  He closed his eyes to stop tears from escaping.  He squeezed Quill’s hand and whispered, “I am not as strong as I make out to be…  I want… to rest… I have wanted only to rest for so long now, without worries for my brother or anything regarding our home life…. I want…  _ peace…”  _

“I know you do…” Quill wrapped his free hand over Thor’s and cradled it in both his own, “...because that was all I wanted, too, once upon a time…” 

Thor sobbed.  “Quill…. I do not mind you do not wish to involve yourself in my affairs…. It is your decision to make…. I do not even remember if what I did was right or wrong; you could be right to remove yourself from my troubles…” 

“Dude.  We  _ just  _ spoke about this - we’ve  _ talked  _ about it  _ all day _ !” Quill facepalmed.  “...Bro… I’m going to help you, but only in return for something.” 

Thor stared back with exhausted eyes. “...” 

Quill’s hands trembled and his heart sped up as he remembered the stress legal battles had instilled in him when he was younger.  He closed his eyes. “...If I act as your witness…. You’re going to not let me down and look after yourself more….”

“Quill…” 

“That includes not shouldering everything on your own, and if you’re bothered by something, tell me.  Because if you keep trying to do everything alone and be this…  _ perfect  _ person…. You’re going to burn yourself out so badly, Thor, there’ll be no coming back.  I’ve  _ been  _ there, bro.  Take it from me.” 

Thor was silent for several moments before he nodded. “You do not have to - No… I mean…. I appreciate it, Quill…” 

“That’s better.” Quill smiled.  “You hungry? I’ll see if I can smuggle in some chicken or something for you.” 

Thor smiled back in return.  “I am very hungry. Will you find out how Loki is and tell me, please?” 

“Yeah, man, of course,” Quill promised.  He kissed Thor’s cheek. “Be back soon, okay?” 

“I love you,” Thor whispered. 

Quill nodded; he never had been able to say those words himself.  “Yeah, thanks.” 

With that, Quill had left, with just a tiny bit of hope swirling in his gut that maybe…  Just maybe…. He had talked some sense into Thor.


	8. Chapter 8

Thor hadn’t been allowed to return to his home.  As soon as the hospital had released him, he’d tried going back for his brother’s sake, but Odin had made it perfectly clear that if Thor valued Loki’s safety and wellbeing, he wouldn’t come anywhere near his home.

It had left Thor little choice.  Without his phone or his wallet - still in his bedroom somewhere  _ probably,  _ if Hela hadn’t gotten to them - he’d dragged himself to Quill’s home on his crutches.  It was so cruel, he knew, to be turned away like that after having already spent the better half of his day walking back to Odin’s, and the turmoil brewed deep in his stomach with every passing moment.

Needless to say, when he rang Quill’s doorbell and the front door opened, he was unashamed to burst into tears.  

“Quill!” At Drax’s shout, Thor wiped his eyes as he let out another sob.

Thor felt Drax pick him up effortlessly and hurry him into the living room where everyone else was gathered.  He hid his face behind his arm, not having the strength to look at anyone. When he felt himself being sat on the couch, he finally lowered it and looked around.  

“Thor…” Quill dragged his fingers through Thor’s dirty hair.  “Thor, what happened? You’re meant to be at the hospital.”

Thor shook his head.  His voice was thick with tears, and it wavered as he mumbled, “T-they let me go home…  But f-father w-wouldn’t let me back… Loki’s all a-alone there…” 

“There’s nothing we can do about that right now,” Quill said softly.  

“Did you walk here all on your own?” Gamora took Thor’s crutches and rested them against the coffee table.  She leant over and put her hand on Thor’s forehead, not surprised to feel him burning up. “You idiot; you should have called someone!”

“He doesn’t have his phone, Gamora,” Quill whispered.  “I didn’t know he was getting out today…” 

“You morons gonna lay him down and take pressure off his injuries, or are you gonna let him sit there in pain?” Nebula narrowed her eyes.  “Idiots…” 

“Drax, get him into my bed,” Quill instructed.  He followed Drax into his bedroom, and once Thor had been laid down on the mattress, he murmured, “You could have killed yourself, man…  You couldn’t have gotten the hospital to call someone for you?” 

Thor shook his head.  Through his tears, he growled out, “Don’t  _ yell  _ at me…” 

“Okay.  Alright.”  Quill took a step back at this.  No one was yelling, and he’d never known Thor to lash out at anyone before.  He was truly hurting inside, and Quill hated to think of how much pain he was in right now.  “No one’s yelling, Thor.”

Thor sobbed.  “I-I am sorry…” 

“No, don’t apologise,” Quill instructed.  “It’s cool; I get it. Mantis, can you go heat him up some soup?” 

Mantis left for the kitchen, and Gamora took a seat on the edge of the bed next to Thor.  “Have you had any water today? You felt like you’re running a fever.” 

Thor shook his head.  He dropped his plaster cast over his eyes to try and block out some of the light, hating the way it was hurting his head.  “I am okay…”

“No.  You  _ aren’t,”  _ Gamora pointed out.  “You dragged yourself all over town on a leg still in its cast - not to mention the  _ surgery  _ you had on your hip.  You are  _ far  _ from okay.” 

Thor growled again, and Quill was quickly realising Thor had no patience today.  He tapped Gamora’s shoulder and muttered, “Guys, go easy on him, okay?” 

“Yes,  _ please  _ just leave me alone!” Thor snapped.  He started pushing himself up on his elbows, but when Gamora launched forward and pressed against his shoulders to lay him back down, he let out an agitated howl.  “Stop it! I just want to go home!”

Gamora turned to glare at Quill.  “And this is why you are no help for things like this.  You let yourself get walked all over, Peter.”

Quill’s eyes widened as he watched the way Gamora held Thor to the bed as she scolded him like a disobedient child.  He knew Gamora was someone who took no shit, but still… 

“You are going to  _ stay here  _ and  _ rest _ ,” Gamora demanded.  “You don’t  _ have  _ to sleep if you don’t want to, but you aren’t going  _ anywhere  _ until that fever breaks and your body recovers better.  If I have to tie you down to this bed, I  _ will _ .” 

“Gamora -” Quill quickly shut his mouth again when Gamora rounded on him next.

“No.  You, shut up.  You don’t get to speak because I know  _ exactly  _ what  _ you’ll  _ do,” Gamora accused.  “You’ll let him be up and walking around and doing gymnastics if he damn well wanted to.  Now, you stay here with him and when Mantis gets back with his soup, make sure he eats and sips at some water, Peter.” 

Quill looked like a deer in headlights as he turned to Drax in disbelief.  Drax shrugged. “Don’t look at me, Quill. It’s not  _ my  _ fault you’re too stupid to be the alpha between the two of you.” 

“Dude…” Quill sighed.  He laid down next to Thor, noticing that the other had given up on struggling and was now laying still as he sobbed.  He nuzzled in close. “Thor… It’ll be alright; I’ll stay here with you.” 

Thor wiped at his eyes again.  “I just want to know if my brother is okay…” 

“Look…  I don’t know the answer to that, and I  _ certainly  _ don’t know what the right thing to say is…  But I can call one of your friends and ask them if they’ve seen him recently.  They might even go over and check on him for you.” 

Thor didn’t respond to that; he just continued sobbing until his tears had ran dry and he was staring up at the roof with a bowl of cold soup next to him and a glass of water he’d refused to sip from.  Quill had stayed with him despite the others still being in the living room. 

Quill’s hand stroked lightly over Thor’s chest as he dozed.  He jerked awake when he felt Thor rumble against him as he coughed.  He lifted his head and blinked. “You okay…?” 

Thor nodded.  He raised his own hand to stroke through Quill’s hair as he murmured, “I apologise for my outbursts earlier…  I miss Loki very much and I am very worried for him…”

“I get it, dude,” Quill promised.  He yawned and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.  “I’m gonna go grab something to eat, and I’ll call your friends while I do.  Are you hungry?” 

Thor started off shaking his head, but when he remembered the only thing Quill had asked of him in order to give his help, Thor nodded instead.  He whispered, “Yes…”

“Don’t worry; I’ll feed you.  I know your dad’s a real ass, so you can stay here if you want.” Quill rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.  “I mean… We don’t really have the room… But Yondu won’t mind you being here as long as you don’t mind things being a bit cramped.”

“I do not mind,” Thor promised.  “It may be easier for everyone if I stay with Stark, however; he has the room and can look after me.  You would be more than welcome to stay with me, Quill; Stark does not care who moves in with him uninvited.”  

“I thought that guy was the biggest asshole when I first met him…” Quill looked to his lap.

“He is not,” Thor whispered.  “He is very caring when he gets to know you.” 

Quill nodded.  He patted Thor’s head as he stood.  “I’m gonna go get food. Do you want something light?”

“Please.” Thor closed his eyes and enjoyed the touch.  He whined softly when Quill pulled his hand away, and he murmured, “May I please have a back massage when you are free, Quill?”

Quill nodded.  “Sure, babe. I won’t be long.” 

Thor smiled.  “I love you~” 

“Mhm…”  Quill left the room, leaving Thor to make himself more comfortable and wait patiently for Quill’s return.

* * *

 

Quill had moved the game consoles into his bedroom, and his friends had been more than happy to relocate onto his already-cramped bed as best they could so Thor could be kept company. 

They’d been playing a multiplayer fighting game Thor didn’t recognise, but it was okay because he was enjoying watching and seeing how competitive they were, yet their friendship never wavered.  It was comforting, something he had long dreamed of being able to do with Loki and hopefully strengthen their fragile bond. 

“Ahaha!” Drax’s booming voice echoed through the room as he dropped his controller to his lap.  “I am the best player in the world!”

“Dude, you lost to Mantis like… five minutes ago,” Quill pointed out, but Thor loved how his tone was light and playful, and never condescending to his friends.  

“If you are the best player in the world, what am I?” Mantis genuinely enquired with a hopeful look on her face.  

“Better than Drax,” Gamora promised.  She gave her own controller to Nebula so she could lean back and check on Thor at the loud sniff the other made.  She pressed her hand to his forehead. “Your fever’s breaking, at least.”

Thor offered a weak smile.  He dropped his head to Quill’s shoulder and murmured, “You all have a very strong bond…  I wish I had such a bond with my brother…”

Drax was the first to respond.  “Are you obsessed with your brother, Thor?  I never hear you talk about anything else.” 

Quill gave his friend a scandalised look.  “Dude…!”

“He isn’t, Drax,” Gamora affirmed.  “It just looks like he does because he has so much anxiety regarding his brother.  He can’t help it.” 

Thor nodded.  “My brother used to be strong and look after himself…  But now he relies on me so much; I have devoted so much time and energy to looking after him, it is… hard to switch off…” 

Mantis passed her controller to Thor, and her expression was so happy, Thor couldn’t help but feel some of the stress ebb away.  “Switch off by playing with us! It is good fun!” 

Thor relaxed further as he nodded.  It was awkward to hold the controller with one arm in a plaster cast, but he managed.  “You are different to my friends. They comfort me with hugs and words. But I very much like your ways, too.” 

Quill threaded his fingers through Thor’s hair as he watched him play.  They’d almost finished their match when his phone started ringing, and he recognised the number to belong to Tony.  He answered it. “Hey, man.” 

“Kid, you got a minute?” Came Tony’s voice over the other end of the line.  

“Yeah, sure.  What’s up?”

Tony murmured to someone in the background before he spoke into the receiver.  “I found out why Loki got taken home from the hospital so soon. Odin paid off his nurses.”

“What the fuck…” Quill’s hands clenched by his sides.  “Have you been to see him?”

“Yeah, and he isn’t doing so great.  I’m trying to get him out of there as we speak.  Whatever you do, don’t let Thor go back. Keep him away as best you can.” 

Quill sighed.  “That bad?” 

“Yeah, kid…  You got no idea.  Rogers and Banner are still over there, but they can’t stay there forever.  We’re working on it. How’s Thor doing?” 

“Better; he’s playing video games with my friends.”  Quill glanced at Thor, glad to see his lover’s attention was still on the TV screen.  “He mentioned earlier he might want to stay with you, though…”

“Yeah, that’s cool,” Tony promised.  “Bring him over whenever. You can stay as well if you want.” 

“Thanks, man.”

“Can you just - Peter, no!  Stop! Put that down!” Tony was yelling now, and Quill could only hold his phone out in front of him and stare at it in disbelief.

“What the hell, man?  I’m not touching anything!” Quill spat back into the phone.

“Not you!” Tony sounded exasperated suddenly.  “Damnit, Peter, don’t touch that either; you’ll lose your fingers!  Quill, I gotta go!” 

Quill blinked in disbelief as the call was ended.  He nudged Thor’s side, and once he had his lover’s attention, he asked, “Who is Peter?” 

“Huh?” Thor cocked his head to the side.  “Is this a trick question?” 

“No, Stark was yelling at someone named Peter.  Is he like schizophrenic and yelling at  _ me  _ or something?” 

“Oh, no,” Thor reassured now that he understood properly.  “He adopted Peter. He’s a bit of a handful for Stark.” 

Quill nodded, and to his utmost surprise, Thor didn’t ask about Loki and what Tony had said.  It was definitely a first, but Quill was starting to realise that it probably  _ was  _ an anxiety-driven issue, and Thor had so much time on his hands, he overthought everything about his brother.

But now that Thor was distracted and enjoying himself…  Quill honestly believed he’d never seemed so calm and  _ normal  _ before.  

Quill didn’t want to ruin that, so he kept his mouth shut and laid back to watch how Thor and Nebula were now fighting each other.  When Thor gave the most genuine laugh he had heard from him yet, Quill knew he was doing the right thing; Thor deserved more than anything to enjoy his life for once, and Quill wasn’t going to take that away from him.  


	9. Chapter 9

Quill awoke unusually early one morning almost a week later.  He wasn’t sure what had woken him, but since they’d forgotten to close the curtains the night previous and he was looking out into a sky barely touched by the rising sun, he knew it was early.  

Quill groaned and rolled onto his side to wake Thor, but he was apparently alone as there was no one beside him.  He didn’t think much of it, figured that was probably what had woke him, and he sat up to go find Thor and make sure his lover was okay.  

It was normal for Thor to be gone around this time, so Quill wasn’t worried; the guy was probably eating breakfast or something already as he waited for Quill’s lazy ass to rouse.  In fact, speaking of rousing, a hot shower would do him well this morning and get rid of the dried stickiness clinging to his body from their activities the night previous. 

The shower did him wonders, though; it relaxed the stiff ache from the copious amounts of tension always present in his body, and he masturbated away his morning stress until he was turning the taps off and opening the glass door to grab his towel.

The start of his morning went smoothly from there as he dressed and found himself exiting the elevator and onto the living area floor.  The lights were already on, and Quill rubbed his eyes before he looked around to see who else was awake.

“Morning, Quill,” came Tony’s call from the dining table.  Bruce was with him, Quill could see, and looking over at where the TV was playing softly, Quill could see the back of someone’s head on the couch, looking a lot like Tony’s adopted kid, Peter.  It was hard to tell with such messy bed hair, though. 

“Morning…” Quill mumbled.  He moved past the dining table and into the kitchen so he could rummage through the fridge in search of breakfast.  

“When we heard the elevator, we thought for sure it was Thor,” Bruce said softly.  “We’ve never seen you up so early.” 

Quill hummed.  “What time is it, anyway…?” 

“Half-five,” Tony replied.  

Quill nodded.  He grabbed the milk carton and took it over to the bench where he then proceeded to tip it into the coffee canister.  “Shit… What are you lot doing awake so early, anyway?”

“I have a company to run and degrees to finish; I’m always up this early,” Tony pointed out.  “Why are  _ you  _ awake?  Your ass never gets out of bed until past ten.” 

Quill shrugged.  He tipped out the coffee canister into the bin and threw it into the sink to wash later so he could go find more coffee.  “Thor was already awake, so I came to find him.”

“Is he?” Bruce looked away from the paperwork he was looking over.  “We haven’t seen him, and we’ve been here all night.” 

Quill felt concern tug at his stomach now; what did they mean, they haven’t seen him?  The entire fucking floor was one room! Thor never ventured anywhere else in the tower, so why would he…?  “Then where the fuck is he?” 

“Relax, kid; he can’t go far on a broken leg,” Tony reassured.  Quill supposed he’d already forgotten how Thor had been all over town the day he got out of hospital.  “He’s probably still in the shower or something. You know how long it takes for him to get his plaster wrapped up properly.”

Quill chose not to respond.  He finished making his coffee, but even as he took it to the couch to watch the morning anime with his namesake (really, he was glad most people just called him Quill or this would be confusing), he couldn’t stop worrying; he’d never woken up with Thor missing like  _ this  _ before.

Peter Parker, who seemed to have been oblivious to the conversation that had happened behind him, smiled at Quill, but he didn’t say anything.  Quill was thankful for it because the more time that passed by, the more anxiety grew in him until his leg was bouncing violently and he was sure if anyone spoke to him, he was going to fucking snap. 

The wall clock ticked away the minutes and Quill had been counting them; ten minutes since he’d left the elevator, thirty since he’d been sitting with Peter, an-hour-half since he’d started watching the clock and now he -

It was Tony’s phone ringing from behind him that snapped Quill from his stupor.  He looked over the back of the couch, pissed off that someone thought it was perfectly acceptable to call so early in the morning, but knowing Thor’s friends, he wasn’t surprised Thor was hanging out with other insanely-early risers.  

“What the hell?” Quill heard Tony say to Bruce as he looked at the caller ID on his screen.  Quill cocked his ear to listen closely. “I thought Thor lost his phone?” 

Quill jumped off the couch to come stand by Tony’s side.  “Answer it.”

Tony did so, but before he could say anything into the phone receiver, he was startled by the sound of someone crying on the other end of the line.  Tony kept his voice hard, not knowing who it was and not wanting to take any chances. “This isn’t Thor, so who is this?” 

There was an unclear mumbling in response, and as Tony put the call on loudspeaker, Bruce whispered, “That’s Loki.  Someone’s crying in the background; it’s not  _ him  _ crying.” 

“Loki?” Tony spoke back into the phone, and he felt his hair stand on end; things must be desperate if Loki was resorting to this.  “Loki, is that you?”

There was more mumbling, and then an agitated sound responded before the call was ended abruptly.  Everyone looked at each other, even Peter still on the couch was looking over curiously. 

“What the hell, man…” Quill raised his hand to his mouth to chew at his fingernails.  

“I know…” Tony sounded grim.  “Something’s really wrong over there.” 

Bruce was the first to get to his feet.  “We need to check on him, Tony.” 

Tony’s phone beeped with an incoming message.  He opened it, not surprised to see it had come from Thor’s number as well.  As soon as they’d all read it, they felt sick.

_ \- Please help us. -  _

Tony rubbed his chin before he nodded.  “Right. Get in the car.” 

* * *

 

Quill had been shaking when Tony had parked his car in the driveway of Thor and Loki’s home.  There was so much anxiety in him, he couldn’t help but expect to find a dead body, or yet another person about to die in front of him, o-or…

Quill had to try and shut his mind off, if only for a second, or he knew he was going to start crying.  He held the sleeve of his opposite arm tightly as he followed behind Tony and Bruce, feeling so much like a scared child, he had no idea why he had come along as he felt like nothing more than dead weight. 

It was nothing like what any of them had been expecting.  ...Or, it perhaps  _ was,  _ but not in the same… context…?  Was that how Quill would describe it?  He didn’t know, and he didn’t care because all that mattered was him kneeling down next to Thor and Loki and holding them both close as he cried and scolded and demanded answers he knew Thor was emotionally incapable of giving right now.

“He’s gone, Thor…” Bruce said softly.  He’d knelt by their sides as well now and was putting his hand on Thor’s shoulder.  “Let go of him… He’s gone…” 

Thor shook his head erratically and moved closer to the body on the ground.  Quill winced, but relief pooled in the pits of his stomach as he knew it could have been  _ so  _ much worse; Odin was no loss to this world - not when it could have been Loki laying down there, pale and stiff with glassy eyes that hadn’t seen for probably days now.  

Thor’s tears came harder as he felt Tony try to pull him away from his father.  He held on tighter. “No! He is my father!” 

Quill didn’t understand.  This was the same man who’d made Thor and Loki’s lives  _ miserable _ ; if Quill were them, he’d have been fucking over the  _ moon  _ he was finally safe.  

...But he had to remind himself that, while they could all relate in one way, they also differed in  _ vastly  _ conflicting ways as well.  Thor and Loki had once had a good, normal relationship with their father whereas Quill had been abused for as long as he could remember; while these two probably still held onto fond memories, Quill had nothing but pain and hatred and  _ anger  _ towards his father.  

“Thor…” Bruce tried now to pull Thor away, but all it earned him was an elbow to the gut.  He quickly moved away now to reassess the situation. 

“No…!” Thor was shaking Odin now, as if he believed he could rouse his father from the dead if he just shook hard enough.  “Don’t go! Please, don’t go! Don’t leave us!” 

Quill didn’t understand.  Was Thor mourning for the man who had abused him and his brother?  Or was he mourning for the father who had once shown them love and care - the man who was  _ deserving  _ of those boys?  For all Quill knew, Thor could be crying for all the chances he lost to repair his relationship with Odin and go back to how they once were.

Quill didn’t know, but one thing he was sure of was that Thor had never stopped loving his father, no matter how bad things had gotten between them - he’d just happened to love Loki more.  

Quill looked to Loki, and he wasn’t surprised to see how blank Loki’s expression was.  It was one he had donned himself years ago when he’d been laying in a hospital bed half-dead only to be told he was being taken away from his father and put into foster care.  If Loki felt anything like Quill had - and Quill  _ trusted  _ they at least felt the same basic emotion right now, if not to the same extent - Loki was a mixture of relieved, shocked, scared and  _ joyful  _ that he wasn’t going to have to look over his shoulder all the time now.

But still, the question remained.  Where did they go from here? 

“We need police, please.”

Quill looked behind him at Bruce’s voice.  Bruce was speaking into the phone, handling things in a way Quill would never have been able to cope with.  

All that was left for Quill to do was look at Tony and whisper, “What’s going to happen to Loki now…?”

“He’s coming with me, and if Hela tries claiming custody over him, she’ll get it over my dead body,” Tony growled.  

Quill nodded, glad that Loki had Tony and Bruce.  He looked back to Odin, searching for any discernible marks that may suggest how he had died, but there was nothing.  It was as if he’d just keeled over and died on the spot. Quill hated that idea; he wished the old man had died slowly and painfully and maybe then he’d have understood just a  _ bit  _ of how he’d made his kids feel after suffering for so long.  


	10. Chapter 10

“You alright, babe?” Quill looked over his shoulder as he heard his lover sigh.  He put his clothing back in the dresser and shut it so he could make his way to Thor’s side and clamber up onto the bed next to him. 

Thor nodded. He rolled onto his side carefully and snuggled in close. His eyes were red and bloodshot from all his crying, and he still sniffled despite having spent most of the morning and night mourning.  “Do you really have to go to work, Quill…?”

Quill sighed. He threaded his fingers through Thor’s hair as he murmured, “Hey, I don’t want to go, either, you know…?” 

Thor moved close once again.  He hesitated, but eventually he whispered, “I get so sad without you, Quill…” 

“I know,” Quill murmured.  “I won’t be too long today; it’s just the morning shift and then I’ll be back.  We can lay in bed and watch movies.” 

Thor didn’t respond to this.  Quill was learning Thor was in deep depression; it’d been two weeks now since they’d found Odin, and ever since, Thor hadn’t been the same. Quill never let it bother him; time just needed to run its course. 

Quill soon sat up again to go back to the dresser. “Stark asked me when you’re going to come upstairs and see everyone again.” 

“Soon…” Thor whispered. “How is Loki?” 

“Doing loads better now that he’s here, bro,” Quill promised.  “Stark said he gets the wire out of his jaw soon, so there’s that.” 

It had surprised everyone when Thor had locked himself away in his room and wouldn’t allow even Loki inside. It was greatly concerning, but at the same time, everyone could understand it; Thor needed time alone to mourn, and there would be no way he could hold Loki up alongside himself right now. It was best for all parties involved, quite honestly.  

“He told me what happened after I was kicked out…” Thor raised his hand to his mouth to chew at his nails.  “...When I left that night…. I just had to see him and make sure he was okay… When I got there, there was a lock on the outside of our door so he couldn’t leave…” 

Quill felt his hands start to shake again now. He’d heard Tony and Bruce’s police friends talking to them about the case, and he’d overheard things he’d immediately left the vicinity to escape. Did he really want to hear things that would only remind him of the shit he had to go through?  “...” 

“They had not been feeding him and would not unchain him from his bed…” Thor looked at the floor as he tried to gather his thoughts.  “Odin had been beating him again, but Hela…. Hela abused him in new ways…. She allowed her friends to…. To  _ use  _ my brother…. And I was not there to stop any of it…” 

Quill had kept his back firmly to Thor so the other couldn’t see his face, but it was his loud sob that gave away what he was going through.  “...” 

Thor pushed himself up onto one of his elbows.  “Quill…? Come back to bed…” 

Quill nodded. He moved back into Thor’s warm arms and hid his face against his chest.  “I…. Shit, I just…” 

“I am so sorry,” Thor whispered.  “I will not talk to you about this one.  I am so sorry…” 

Quill shook his head. He pulled his face away to wipe at his tears as he murmured, “Information overload, man…. I-I… just need to process it all slowly…  You can tell me - Just… I need to get my own shit under control first…” 

Thor kissed Quill’s forehead.  “I am sorry… I did not think of your feelings; I just needed to talk about my own…” 

Quill gave a chuckle. “About time you put yourself first for once…  It’s okay; you can talk about it…”

Thor shook his head. He slipped his hand beneath Quill’s shirt and slowly slid it up so he could see his lover’s abused body.  His fingertips danced along an old scar along Quill’s collarbone. “You have never really told me about your problems, yet you always listen to my own without fail…” 

“Yeah, well…” Quill jerked away from the touch at the memories it stirred. “I never tell anyone my shit…. It’s better not to drag them down with it all.” 

“No…  Quill, I love you very much; you could  _ never  _ bring me down, sweetheart…” The room fell silent for several moments before Thor slid his hand down to Quill’s stomach and circled along an old burn next to his bellybutton. “Do you remember their stories…?” 

Quill nodded. “Yeah, man…  I was seven when I got the one you’re touching.  ...Apparently going outside to feed the chickens and get their eggs is a crime…”

Thor nuzzled his face into Quill’s throat, but his fingertips never stopped dancing, as if he could caress away the pain and memories if he did it long enough.  “It is not… You were seven…” 

Quill wiped his tears away with his thumb. “Ego didn’t see it that way…  It was a big enough ‘crime’ for me to be taken into the barn and tied down so he could put just enough gasoline in the right spot and then throw a match to it…”

Thor pulled Quill into a tighter hold as he kissed all over his lover’s face.  He moved his hand to an old scar that ran across one of his ribs. “What about this one…?” 

Quill snorted sadly as his tears rolled harder.  “...Trying to run away at five-years-old gets a knife dragged deep enough through bone…” 

“Quill…” Thor wiped at his own eyes now.  “...My problems are minuscule compared to yours…” 

“No, don’t ever say that,” Quill demanded. “Your problems are real and  _ valid _ , Thor.  I stopped playing the competition game with you ages ago; you’ve  _ earned  _ my respect and loyalty.  So don’t think you aren’t allowed to feel the way you do because someone else had it worse!”

Thor nodded.  He patted Quill’s head slowly as he considered everything that had been said.  Finally, he closed his eyes and whispered, “Lately… I have been feeling like I want to die…  Have you ever felt like that, Quill?” 

Quill shook his head.  “Sort of… But not really.  I mean, I’ve thought about death - I  _ still  _ think about it sometimes…  But I’ve never really  _ wanted  _ it, you know…?  It’s usually… fleeting thoughts - never really something I mull over…”

Thor understood.  His fingers went back to playing with Quill’s imperfections as he whispered, “My brother has attempted suicide several times before…  He had attempted it that day when you were at work…”

“I had a feeling…  What about you? Have you ever tried it?”

“I could not; if something happened to me, Loki would have been alone…  I used to get scared sometimes. Of what would happen if I could have ever gotten Loki away for good…  I knew I would have tried it as long as I could know Loki would be safe… It was partially a reason I never could try hard enough to get him out of there…” 

“Hey…” Quill reached out to put his hand on Thor’s cheek.  He stared into his lover’s eyes and said firmly, “You need to learn how to live for yourself rather than other people.  I’ve seen you do it before; I  _ know  _ you can.  You just… Need to learn…  It took me a long time, too, but I got there.  I’ll help you, bro. It never happens overnight.” 

Thor pressed their lips together before he pulled away.  They laid there, watching each other until Thor whispered, “I would like to know more of your story when you finish work…  I will tell you my deepest secrets in return.” 

“You don’t have to give me  _ anything  _ in return; I would tell you anything you wanted to know if you asked,” Quill promised.  “I really should get dressed and ready to leave… But if you could tell Banner and your other friends to stop calling me Peter, that’d be great.  ...Ego used to call me Peter… It’ll be okay when I know them better, but I don’t like it right now.” 

Thor nodded.  “I will talk to them about it today, Quill.  I love you… I love you  _ very  _ much, sweetheart.” 

For the first time, Quill’s tongue licked his lips before he nodded and mumbled, “Love you, too…  I’ll be back soon. Try and get some sleep, okay?” 

Thor nodded.  He laid down and pulled the blankets back over him as he closed his eyes and listened to Quill moving around.  He never heard him leave, though; Thor was quickly out of it, sleeping until lunchtime when he finally got the energy for the first time in so long to leave his bed and go see his friends.

* * *

 

When Quill returned to Stark Tower just after lunch, he carried three plastic bags with him.  He stepped into the living area first to drop two of them off, and what he found couldn’t help but put a smile on his face; finally, Thor had left his bed and was seeing his friends. 

“Hey, I got lunch for everyone.” It made things easier to see everyone gathered on the couches, so Quill set the bags down on the coffee table and reached into the first one.  “You guys haven’t eaten yet, have you?” 

“We had sandwiches but we’re still hungry.” Without hesitation, Tony removed his Rolex watch and shoved it towards Quill.  “Take it, kid. I don’t have any cash on me at the moment.” 

“The fuck, man?” Quill pushed Tony’s hand away.  “Food costed less than fifty and you’re trying to give me a five-thousand dollar watch for a ten dollar meal.  Seriously, bro; keep it.” 

“Thirty-thousand, actually. And no, no; you take it; I can buy another one,” Tony insisted.  “Come on, don’t make me feel bad.” 

“What the hell am I supposed to do with thirty-thousand?” Quill finally accepted the Rolex and eyed it with suspicion.  

“Sell it and put the money in your bank.  Keep yourself fed and looked after,” Tony suggested.  He reached into the bag and pulled out a container of roast chicken and vegetables.  “Anyone mind if I take this?” 

No one had any qualms about the meals everyone chose; Loki was helped into a sitting position and given a hot mug of miso soup to sip at, and the conversation was calm as everyone sat in contentedness. 

“We’ve been talking, Thor and us.” Tony moved his food carton closer to Bruce so Bruce could share his chicken pieces.  He nodded his head at Loki before he continued. “We’ve decided it’s best if Loki stays here so we can look after him - give the big guy a good, long rest.  Loki is safe with us; Thor knows this.” 

Bruce picked up where Tony left off now that his lover’s fork was circling his food.  “Hela is still trying to get guardianship of Loki. We’re doing our best to prevent it, but it isn’t easy.  The three of us are going to try and fight her in court to get guardianship, but we don’t like Thor’s chances.  He isn’t working and he’s being tried for attempted murder; we should have a better chance to get him.” 

Quill looked at Thor, noticing now how suspiciously quiet his lover had been.  He touched Thor’s knee and whispered, “Would you be okay if they got guardianship instead?  It’d mean he’d have to live here with them. If you chose to live somewhere else… You mightn’t get to see him as much.” 

Thor tensed, and he licked his lips before he whispered, “I will miss my brother greatly…  But his safety and happiness is most important. Stark and Banner can give my brother what he needs, and that is all that matters.  Banner already dotes upon Loki and I trust Stark will give him the love my brother deserves, too. Peter will be here, and it will do Loki good to be with someone his own age for once.”

Quill rubbed his thumb against Thor’s cheek. He couldn’t help but admire him in this moment; after so many years of protecting his brother, Thor was willing to hurt himself just to make sure he was doing the best thing he could for Loki.  “It’ll be okay. They’ll do their best to help your brother.” 

Thor nodded. He pushed his scallop potatoes around with his fork in contemplation before he dropped his head onto Quill’s shoulder and mumbled, “I am aching very much right now…  May I have a massage?” 

“Yeah, man.  You gonna finish those potatoes?  I’ll eat them if you don’t want them.” 

Thor shook his head.  He passed the container to his lover so he could reach out for his crutches and get to his feet.  “A nap afterwards sounds great, Quill.” 

“Sure, babe.  I could use some sleep.”  Quill kept the food tucked beneath his arm as he used his other to keep Thor steady. 

“Have fun, lovebirds,” Tony called to them as he reached out for his can of coke.  “Thor, we’re taking your brother to physiotherapy in an hour so don’t freak out if no one’s here.”

Thor hummed in appreciation. He watched with tired eyes the way Bruce moved to Loki’s side to check on him, and he couldn’t help but give a faint smile; Loki would be  _ very  _ well taken care of here, or he’d never have allowed them to offer their guardianship over Loki. 

“Don’t fall asleep, Loki; you have to be up soon,” Bruce said softly. “Come on; I’ll help you with your exercises.” 

Thor found himself relaxing once he was laying on their comfortable bed with his clothing off and the blankets soft beneath his stomach. His face was buried in the pillow, and he let out a breathy moan of anticipation.  “Quill…” 

“Easy, baby, I know it’s hurting.” Quill rummaged around in his drawers for the massage oil.  “You’ll feel better soon.” 

Thor laid quietly beneath Quill’s hands, so quiet Quill had almost thought he’d fallen asleep already. He continued massaging, knowing how sore Thor had been getting from his injuries, and he couldn’t help but let his eyes wander until they rested on Thor’s ass and his snug entrance was just visible from the the angle they were in.  He recalled how tight his lover was around him, how beautiful he looked as Quill would enter him gently, and he bit back a moan. 

Quill felt his cock twitch in interest.  “Baby, you feel like going a round or two?” 

“Perhaps after our nap.” Thor sounded so relaxed, Quill didn’t mind at all.  “I would like you to ride me, if that is okay with you.” 

Quill licked his lips. Sure, it sounded great and put filthy images in his head his cock enjoyed…  But was it something he could do? They’d spoken about this, never in detail but enough for Quill to have divulged he wouldn’t be able to handle being penetrated so soon into their relationship.

It had always been Thor on the bottom whenever they’d made love, and it was great; they both enjoyed themselves immensely every time.  But would Quill be able to swap roles? 

“I can try…” Quill whispered. He leant down and kissed the nape of Thor’s neck before he decided his lover deserved an explanation. He took a deep breath.  “I understand… what Loki is going through… Hela having done that to him… It is why I’ve never used my mouth on you, either. But I trust you, Thor.” 

Thor turned his head to the side so he could peer up at Quill. “I would never wish to hurt you, Quill. I would only ever be gentle with you, and I would give you as much pleasure as I could.” 

“I know,” Quill promised. “Some things… just stick with you, you know?” 

Thor nodded.  “I appreciate you trying, Quill.  If you tell to me stop, I always will.” 

“Thanks.” 

Thor smiled.  He rolled his shoulders before he murmured, “I do feel better now.  I am going to take a nap.” 

"I’ll join you.”  Quill didn’t hesitate to lay down and curl in close to Thor until their chests were pressed together and Thor’s arm was draped loosely over his lover’s body.  He closed his eyes, and as soon as he sensed Thor’s breathing evening out, he allowed himself to slip into sleep as well. They both needed the rest; hopefully it would be a long one. 


	11. Chapter 11

Thor had had the plaster taken off his leg and arm three weeks later, and now that he no longer had his crutches, he’d taken advantage of walking as much as he could.  Quill had stayed with him for the most part, keeping him company, but while Quill napped after a full day of work and school, Thor stayed out in the living area of Stark Tower to not disturb him.  

It was safe to say that when Thor went back to their room to get his new laptop Tony had just bought for him, he certainly hadn’t expected to walk in on Quill, spread out on his back without any clothes on as he moved a vibrator in and out of himself slowly.  

Thor’s breath caught in his throat.  He wasn’t sure he’d ever become aroused so fast, but he had to drop his hand to the front of his pants to hide the prominent bulge. 

Thor cleared his throat when Quill turned his head and cracked his eyelid open to observe him. “I, uh…  I will leave…” 

“No, come here, baby…” Quill purred. He outstretched an arm towards his lover and waved him over.  “You can watch. I promise.” 

Thor couldn’t have obeyed fast enough. He scrambled onto the bed and sat on his heels by Quill’s side as he kept his eyes focused firmly on the vibrator so he could watch the skin stretch and tighten around it with every movement.  

Quill closed his eyes again as he focused on the sensations running through his body. He licked his lips before he whispered, “I’ve been practising.” 

“Practising…?” Thor pressed harder against his bulge, as if to try and will it away. 

“Mhm.  For you.” Quill opened both his eyes now as he looked to Thor.  “Practising so I can get ready for your big cock.” 

A loud keen escaped Thor’s throat, and whatever chance he may have had at pretending he wasn’t so aroused was no more. His hips bucked forward in desperate need of friction.  “Q-quill…”

Quill gave Thor a minxy grin.  He wasn’t oblivious to the way Thor kept his hands firmly on his person; Thor never touched until he’d been given permission.  “It’s alright, baby. You can touch me.”

Thor’s hands trembled as they moved to push Quill’s thighs further apart for a better look. He ghosted his fingertips against Quill’s knuckles before he murmured, “May I…?” 

“Fuck yes…” Quill replied breathily.  

Thor felt his heart hammer against his rib cage as he replaced Quill’s hand with his own around the vibrator. He’d fantasised of doing something like this with him for so long, but he’d never thought any of them would come true. 

Here and now, though…  Thor felt himself leaking as he moved the vibrator in and out gently.  

Quill spread himself out more as he relaxed.  He loved that Thor was a giver and didn’t care if he got pleasure in return as long as his partner enjoyed himself; it meant Quill got to bask in his lover’s affection for a long while and could take his time in enjoying everything. 

“How is this?” Thor whispered.  “Does it feel good?” 

Quill nodded. “Go a bit faster.” 

Thor obliged, and his hand moved in a steadier rhythm. His breathing was harsh and his eyes clouded from lust, and he was sure he was going to come pretty soon without any touching.  He didn’t think he’d ever been aroused so much, and for the first time in his life, he hoped he could get something out of this in return. 

“Quill…” Thor murmured his lover’s name as desire overwhelmed him.  “Oh, Quill… I love you, sweetheart…” 

“Mhm…  You’re showing me, baby…” 

Thor gave a deep guttural moan at those words.  He bit his lip as he felt his underwear dampen further, but he didn’t move a hand to himself; as long as Quill finished, he could do whatever he needed to himself after. 

Thor’s pace sped up slowly but surely, but his gentleness never left.  Quill had never had such an attentive partner; he hadn’t been with many men, but the ones he had had never worked out as they’d cared only about their own pleasure and never for Quill’s needs. But Thor was just  _ amazing _ , and Quill knew he had hit the jackpot with him.  

Thor pulled the vibrator out completely now.  His pants were ragged as Quill gave a displeased moan.  He reached out for pillows and slid them under Quill’s hips before he whispered, “It is okay; I need to give you something, Quill…” 

Well, Quill couldn’t argue with that; he wasn’t  _ completely  _ selfish and self-centred. He felt Thor’s fingers grab his thighs and hold on so gently, Quill could tell he was afraid of hurting him.  He opened his mouth to say something, to tell him that Quill wouldn’t break so easily - but all coherent thought left his mind when he felt a tongue lick at his entrance. 

Thor felt Quill’s body jolt.  His arousal sent waves of desperation through his body, but he didn’t indulge in himself; his turn would come later, but Quill needed this now.  He pushed his tongue into the hole briefly before he pulled it back out, repeating the same actions but entering just a little deeper every time.  

Quill stuttered something he didn’t understand as he tried to deal with the massive overload of sensations his brain couldn’t keep up with.  He reached out to pull at Thor’s hair in an attempt to ground himself, and instead of hurting his lover, it earned him a groan of encouragement.  

Thor pulled his tongue out completely once again so he could nibble and suck all around Quill’s entrance. He kissed his way to Quill’s trembling thighs so he could bite lightly at the flesh, never hard enough to bruise or hurt. 

“O-o-oh…” Quill knew he wouldn’t last much longer at this rate, so when he felt Thor’s tongue enter him again, he grabbed a handful of his lover’s hair and jerked violently to get his attention in the only way his scrambled mind could coherently think of.  

Thor gave a loud rumble of appreciation of at the action, and he couldn’t keep himself from grinding his hips against Quill’s leg desperately.  

“Please come inside me!” Quill exclaimed loudly.  His eyes were wide as tears of overwhelming pleasure rolled down his cheeks.  “I need it, Thor…!”

A possessive growl escaped Thor’s lips as he fumbled with his belt and zipper. He didn’t care enough to push them all the way down; just low enough to reveal his leaking arousal. 

Thor was careful as he entered, but there was still a raw, primitive drive in the way he hastily pushed inside.  Quill didn’t care that it was different to how Thor usually was; all that mattered was wrapping his arms around Thor’s neck and digging his nails into the back of his shirt as hard as he could as he felt Thor begin to move.

The rhythm was harsh, frantic, as if Thor had reverted to carnal instincts to do as he was designed for.  Their erratic pants filled the room as Thor thrust in desperation, needing more than ever to reach his release.  

Quill had started a chant of Thor’s name as his tears came harder, almost unable to bear the amount of pleasure such an act brought him.  He jerked loudly at a particularly hard thrust that made him feel so good, his instinct was almost to try and escape the intensity of it. 

“Ah… Ah… Ah…” Thor was staring into Quill’s eyes as his moans got louder at his approaching climax.  “Q-quill…. S-sweetheart…. I-I need to…. I need to come…!”

Quill was unaware of the drool running down his cheek as he nodded.  “P-please… C-come inside me… Please…” 

Thor couldn’t hold back at the permission he received; his balls tightened and he dropped his face against Quill’s shoulder so he could bite down and moan loudly as he emptied his release inside Quill.  

The room fell quiet, save for their pants as they tried so hard to catch their breath.  Thor had collapsed onto Quill, but Quill didn’t care; he kept his arms locked around his lover’s neck as they stared into each other’s eyes. 

It was Quill who initiated the kiss.  He felt Thor slip his hand between their bodies as he returned it with all the love and passion he was capable of, but Quill wasn’t distracted from the way his own seed was rubbed all over his stomach. 

Their lips broke apart, and all the brain power Quill could muster couldn’t come up with anything better than to say, “You made that mess, so clean it up.” 

Thor chuckled.  He patted Quill’s stomach and whispered, “I always do.” 

Quill closed his eyes and moaned as he felt a tongue lapping at his stomach like a hungry puppy. He opened his mouth to say something, but someone cleared their throat from the doorway, and the two of them almost jumped out of their skin. 

It was Steve, and Quill had never seen him look so red before as he mumbled, “P-please c-close your door n-next time…” 

Quill waved him away and waited until the door had been shut before he turned to Thor and smirked. “I should punish you for not shutting the door.” 

Thor didn’t falter in licking away the semen as he smirked deviously in return.  “Oh, really?” 

Quill nodded. He sat up and swatted his lover’s ass.  “Mhm. I should spank you for that.” 

Thor leaned up to kiss Quill’s forehead and whisper, “I would gladly accept any form of punishment from you, Quill.  I quite enjoy being spanked.” 

Quill chuckled.  He pulled Thor up to lay beside him so he could snuggle in close.  He closed his eyes and murmured, “Thank you, though… I’ve never been able to do that before…  You’re the only person I’ve been with who hasn’t reminded me of Ego in one way or another…” 

Thor held the back of Quill’s head to keep his face against his chest, hoping his heartbeat would comfort Quill.  His fingers rubbed gentle circles into the back of Quill’s head. “It is because I love you so much.” 

Quill hummed in response, and with that, he was fast asleep. 


	12. Chapter 12

Quill was happy Thor decided to go back to school despite everything that had happened, but the problem was, Thor’s first day back happened to be the same day he had gone to court to battle his own sister for custody of Loki.  It was understandable Thor was quiet and depressed; Quill hadn’t been there as he’d been busy helping Yondu out with his work, but Tony had told him how Thor had been ripped at and ridiculed for even daring think he had a chance at all to gain guardianship of his own brother.  

Quill had been sure his heart had broken at his lover’s treatment; Thor was far from perfect, but he loved his brother  _ dearly,  _ and if they’d been there to see the way Thor would take the blows again and again for Loki’s sake, they’d understand they couldn’t have been more wrong in what they’d said to Thor.

“At least Stark and Banner have guardianship,” Quill whispered to Thor in class to try and cheer him up.  “He isn’t going back to that bitch.”

Thor nodded.  He looked so exhausted, so done with life, and Quill was scared; Thor’s trial for attempted murder was right around the corner now, and neither of them were prepared.  “He will be very happy with them; I know he will be…” 

“He’ll be  _ safe, _ ” Quill promised.  “That’s the important thing.” 

“They will treat him as their own as they do with Peter, but still I am scared…” Thor admitted. 

Quill moved closer.  “Scared?”

“Yes.  Scared that if I am not there to be with him all the time, he may k-ki…” Thor trailed off as a single tear rolled down his cheek.  

“They would never let that happen,” Quill promised.  “They’ll look after him.” 

Thor was too tired to reply again.  He looked down at his notebook and idly scratched the tip of his pen against the paper.  Quill didn’t push him. He turned to Gamora when he felt her eyes on him, and he whispered, “He’ll be okay, Gamora.  I’m with him. He needs sleep; he hasn’t been getting any.” 

And it was true; Thor had been struggling with sleep, plagued by vivid night terrors and broken sleep.  Quill hadn’t been doing much better himself, honestly; it was as if they were feeding off each other’s negative energy, and Quill didn’t know how he was supposed to take that possibility.  

Long story short, they were both tired and grumpy, so when Thor dropped his hand to caress Quill’s inner thigh absentmindedly, Quill didn’t mind until another student fixed their gaze on him.  He shuddered, and he felt terrible as he pulled away from the touch he had allowed so many times before. “Thor,  _ don’t _ .” 

If Thor was hurt or confused, he didn’t show it; he pulled his hand away and continued staring blankly at his notebook as if he was barely taking notice of anything around him anyway.  

Quill looked back to the other student now.  His skin rippled in disgust as they smirked at him, and he wanted so badly to get up and leave and never come back.  He almost did just that when the other stood and approached, but Gamora talking to him stopped him before he could get up.  

“Peter, you look bothered.” Gamora’s eyebrows were furrowed in concern, but when heavy footsteps stopped next to her, she understood why.  She knew this guy; one of the sports jocks Quill had dated for all of two hours two years ago. “What do  _ you  _ want?” 

“Can’t help but notice Quill getting felt up in class.” The newcomer smirked.  “Guess I got a bit jealous. He’s got nice thighs, as you’d know yourself.” 

Thor seemed to finally come back to reality now.  He blinked blearily at the student before he deadpanned, “Do you need help with anything?”

“Yeah, was wondering if you’d share.” 

Thor’s hands clenched, and a dark expression crossed his face.  “Do I  _ look  _ like I am in a gaming mood?  Go away.” 

Gamora put her hand on Quill’s arm at the way her friend tensed.  “Piss off. He wants  _ nothing  _ to do with you.” 

The newcomer ignored Gamora as his eyes locked onto Thor’s.  “He’s a pretty good fuck. Almost makes up for how he cries after sex.” 

Thor’s eyes widened at the implications.  “He has never cried after we…” 

The student shrugged.  “No? Guess it’s because he didn’t want me to fuck in him in the first place.”

Thor moved so fast, no one was really sure what had happened.  But Thor was on his feet, his arm outstretched and his fist still in the air as the student lay unconscious at his feet with blood trailing from his nose and mouth.  

Quill finally moved, and it was to allow his jaw to drop.  He looked at Thor in disbelief. “Jesus, man… You should have just told him to fuck off.” 

Thor shook his head.  “He hurt you. I will never allow anyone to hurt you, past or present, Quill.  Besides, now I feel a bit better I got to hit something.” 

Gamora shook her head as an exasperated sigh left her lips.  “You’re lucky Drax and Mantis are away sick today or else they’d have joined in.” 

Thor smiled.  He sat back down, ignoring the way the class stared at him, stunned.  Even the teacher was speechless, still trying to process how sweet, goofy Thor had just knocked a student out cold in one punch. 

“Remind me never to get on your bad side…” Gamora muttered to Thor.

Thor chuckled.  “Do not worry; I would never hit a female.  Even my sister - as much as she deserves it - has been spared my wrath.” 

Things really did get better from there on.  It seemed all Thor had needed to vent his emotions was something to hit and he was as happy as a golden retriever puppy.  He allowed Quill to drive him back to Tony’s once they’d finished their classes, and after inviting him inside for a bit, they decided to order in food.  

Tony and Bruce weren’t home, they’d discovered upon finding Loki and Peter in the living area, the TV turned on and Peter trying his damned hardest to coax Loki into taking the PlayStation controller.  

Thor laughed.  He came to sit on the throw rug next to Loki and pulled his brother into his lap.  He took the controller from Peter and settled it in Loki’s hold before he said, “Loki has never been allowed to play videogames before.  He will be scared, especially as he does not know you very well.” 

Quill sat on the couch behind the others so he could stretch his heavy limbs out and order Italian to be delivered.  He listened to the conversation in front of him, still a bit unsure on Peter as well as he’d never really sat and talked with the teen.

“Aww…” Peter pouted for a split second before he smiled again and moved closer to Thor.  He kept his eyes on Loki as he said, “You don’t have to play with me if you don’t want to, Loki.  I thought it would be fun if we did.” 

“I will play with you,” Thor promised.  “Thank you for being a friend to my brother; I really appreciate your thoughtfulness towards him.” 

Quill didn’t mind Thor spending time with his brother or Peter.  He didn’t even mind the way they laughed so joyously without him.  What he  _ did  _ mind, however, was the way Peter had curled up on his side with his head on Thor’s thigh and Thor’s hand rubbing circles into the teen’s side after Loki had finally gathered the courage to pick up the controller himself.

Quill cleared his throat uncomfortably, but before he could say anything, the buzzer rang through the building, signalling that dinner had arrived.  He sulked to himself as he went down to get it, and he couldn’t keep the racing thoughts out of his mind. 

Quill knew he was being ridiculous.  It was just how Thor showed his affections, was all…  He still caressed Bruce’s thighs in casual conversation and snuggled in close against Tony and Steve.  On top of that, he knew Thor was no pedophile and would never touch Peter in a manner he thought could be inappropriate.  

No, Quill was just being jealous.  That’s all. He didn’t want to lose his boyfriend to anyone else; it was his insecurities messing him around.

“Thanks, man…” Quill handed over the cash to the delivery boy and closed the door.  He went back to the living area, gritting his teeth as he found nothing had changed.  

Quill put the food on the coffee table and moved to kneel behind Thor.  He wrapped his arms around his lover’s neck and bit down on the junction between Thor’s neck and shoulder before he murmured, “Food’s here, love…” 

Thor turned his head and grinned at Quill.  “Thanks! Come sit with us and eat. You can play, too, if you want, Quill.  Loki is having his turn now.” 

Quill shook his head.  “I’m good. I’ll get plates and cutlery…” 

Quill didn’t didn’t stick around much longer after they’d eaten; he didn’t know how to approach the topic of him not liking the way Thor still touched his friends, and rather than subject himself to his growing jealousy where he  _ knew  _ he’d blurt out something hurtful to all parties involved, he retired for the night.  

Quill didn’t fall asleep, though.  He  _ couldn’t  _ fall asleep.  He laid there with his eyes closed for hours, and even after Thor had come to bed and pulled him into his arms to hold him close, he still laid wide awake long after Thor had passed out.  

It was when Quill had just started drifting off somewhere about three in the morning was he snapped back into reality by their bedroom door opening.  He tensed, memories swirling in his overworked mind as he remembered how he used to fear so terribly the sound of doors opening, footsteps outside his bedroom door making him curl into a shaking ball as he hid beneath his blankets and hoped they would be impenetrable to the man who always caused him such terror and agony.  

It wasn’t Ego, though.  It  _ definitely  _ wasn’t Ego, so why was Quill still shaking?  Ego’s footsteps were thunderous and horrifying.  These footsteps were so light, as if they were afraid of waking the sleeping occupants of the bedroom.  

“Thor…?”  It was Loki, Quill realised by the barely-audible whisper.  “Thor, wake up…” 

Quill kept his eyes closed as he feigned sleep.  He could feel Loki shaking Thor, trying to rouse his brother, and it seemed to work as he felt a rumble against his back that was Thor groaning.  

“Loki…?” Quill felt the way Thor leant back slightly to see his brother better.  One hand left Quill’s stomach, probably Thor reaching out to Loki, he assumed. “Loki, what is wrong…?” 

Loki sounded ashamed, and on the verge of tears as he whispered, “I…  I wet the bed…” 

There was a stunned silence before Thor let out a breathy, “O-oh…”, as if this had never happened before and had come as a shock to the young man.  But then, Thor continued gently. “Would you like to sleep with me, Loki?” 

“Mhm…” 

Quill continued faking sleep as he felt himself being jostled gently closer to the edge of the mattress so Thor could make room for his brother.  He never opened his eyes, not even when he felt Thor letting go of him completely so he could roll over and press his back against Quill’s. He was holding Loki tight now, Quill could tell, and again that jealous rage swirled in his stomach.  

“Did you have nightmares?” Thor whispered to his brother.

“Mhm…” Loki moved closer to his brother.  “About Hela… About… what her friends did to me…” 

Quill felt his breath catch in his throat.  It was something he understood so well, he knew if they kept talking about this, he was going to cry.  Whatever Hela had been doing to Loki in Thor’s absence, he  _ really  _ wasn’t ready to hear about because he knew only too well how cruel one had to be to cause bedwetting.  He himself had done it up until he was nineteen, stopping only once he’d learned how to cope with his trauma.  

Sometimes Quill wished he’d never gotten involved so deeply with these two because maybe then he could have continued to live in ignorance of his past and pretend he wasn’t so fucking  _ shattered _ .  

“I have been having nightmares, too,” Thor confided in his brother.  “I love you, Loki. I love you more than anything in this world.” 

“Even more than Quill…?” Loki sounded disbelieving, as if he thought of himself as nothing worth loving that much.

Thor was silent for several moments as he pondered the question.  When he replied, Quill could hear the smile in his voice. “I love you both equally, in different ways.  I love you as my brother. But Quill… I am so deeply in love with Quill, I could not bare anything to happen to him.” 

Quill felt a tear roll down his cheek.  He hated himself. He hated himself so  _ fucking much _ .  All the while he could hold such negativity and selfishness inside, yet Thor was so fucking  _ genuine _ with him.  Quill didn’t deserve Thor.  Thor deserved the world, yet he’d settled for  _ trash  _ like Quill.  

“I can tell you are,” Loki whispered back.  “I see the way you look at him. You’ve never loved anyone like you have Quill.” 

“I have never met anyone like Quill.  He is perfect in every way.” 

More tears followed the first, and Quill wanted to break the rouse and yell and scream about how Thor was so  _ wrong;  _ Quill was  _ none  _ of that and certainly not  _ perfect _ because the  _ perfect  _ one of the two was  _ Thor _ and Quill was no better than the shit on the bottom of Thor’s shoe.  Instead, he laid silently. 

“I wish to marry Quill,” Thor confided again.  “I hope to spend the rest of my life with him. He makes me so happy and fulfilled in ways I never thought I could be.  He… He makes me want to hold on to life, Loki. I can wake up in the mornings now knowing that I can finally be happy and I no longer lay in bed for hours wishing I was dead.” 

“I like Quill…” Loki responded shyly.  “I think he is good for you, brother. He doesn’t hurt you like the other people you’ve dated have.  You used to cry so much…” 

“None of that matters now, Loki.” A soft kissing sound filled the air, most likely Thor kissing his brother’s forehead, Quill could guess.  “I am happy now; that is all I care about.” 

There was silence for so long, Quill thought they had fallen asleep.  But instead, finally, Loki whispered again. 

“I hope I can find someone I love, too…” Loki sounded longing, and Quill felt his heart break; after everything that poor kid had endured, Loki certainly deserved love.  

Thor kissed Loki’s forehead again.  “You will. I promise. Personally, I would like to see you with Peter.  You two would be so cute together.” 

Loki laughed lightly.  “Stark would murder me.” 

“He would not.  He knows Peter has a crush on you.  He thinks it is cute and funny.” 

“He has a crush on me…?”

“Yes.  Why do you think he never leaves you alone?” Quill felt Thor’s chuckle.  “I would love if you two fell in love. It would be adorable.” 

Loki hummed.  “I’ll think about it.  Goodnight, brother…” 

“Goodnight, Loki.  Sleep well.” 

With that, the room fell silent.  Quill still couldn’t fall asleep, though; if anything, he was too worked up and struggling to keep his sobbing silent.  It was just so much to take in. He knew Thor cared about him, but to think… To think the guy was in  _ love  _ with him…!  

Quill had never really believed in love before.  He’d never experienced it properly to have much care about it.  To him, Yondu had always been the father he’d never had, the way he believed a father should be.  Gamora and his friends he  _ did  _ love.  He loved them so much, he’d have done anything for their happiness.  

But  _ romantic  _ love…?  Quill’s views on that shit used to be so skewed, most of his previous “relationships” had been built mostly on sex to help him forget his tortured past.  

Thor was different, though.  Thor had  _ always  _ been different.  The one and only person he’d learnt to trust completely and allow through the many,  _ many  _ walls around his heart.  And now, he was learning Thor was  _ in love with him _ . 

Before, Quill would have shuddered in disgust and pushed everyone away, unable to stand being around such sappy bullshit.  But now, he wiped at his wet face and turned around so he could snuggle in against Thor’s back and nuzzle his face into his lover’s warm body.  

Thor made him feel safe.  Thor made him feel  _ content _ .  Yes, Thor fucked up.  He still did things that made Quill jealous and insecure.  But Thor was Thor, and it wasn’t  _ his  _ fault he liked to take a slightly intimate approach in showing his affections for his friends.  Quill trusted him; he knew Thor would never cheat on him. 

Quill just needed to step back and remember that just because Thor liked rubbing his friend’s sides and cuddling just a  _ bit  _ too intimately didn’t mean anything more than he cared deeply for his friends.  Quill would never try and change that about Thor; it was one of the endearing things about his boyfriend, and he loved Thor how he was.

No.  Quill would just need to work on his own insecurities rather than take them out on everyone else.  After all, Thor was perfect, like he was a gift from the Gods almost. But Quill…

Quill was just trash that should have been tossed out in the landfill years ago.  


	13. Chapter 13

Quill knew there was no way he could feel any worse than he already did walking into the courthouse with Yondu by his side.  He hadn’t slept for three days now, and with the stress eating away at him, he was sure he looked deathly ill. 

Yondu was looking at Quill from the corner of his eye.  His hand was gripping Quill’s shoulder tight, and he couldn’t help but murmur, “You sure about this, boy?” 

Quill nodded.  “I already told him I’d do this for him…” 

“No one can blame you if you change your mind; this isn’t exactly a walk in the park.” 

Quill shook his head.  Though he tried so hard to sound convincing, his voice wavered, and he knew he was nothing but a scared child right now.  “Seriously, man, I got this…!” 

Yondu knew Quill didn’t, but he also knew better than to argue.  “Alright. Do you know where we’re goin’, at least?” 

“To these guys.” Quill jerked his thumb at the group ahead.  “I wanna see how Thor is doing.” 

Yondu kept silent until he was standing before the group.  He recognised one of them as the same man who had brought Quill home after his boy had been drugged, so he nodded in greeting.  

“How is Thor?” Quill took a seat on the bench.  He didn’t see Thor or Loki around, but that was okay; they were probably talking with their lawyers.  

“He’s with Loki,” Steve said quietly.  “Neither of them are doing well… My friend, Scott, is talking with them.  He’s giving them advice.” 

“Advice?” Quill wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“They’re  _ terrified,  _ kid…” The dark bags beneath Tony’s eyes told Quill he wasn’t the only one losing out on sleep because of this.  

“They are,” Steve agreed.  “Lang’s been in and out of court a lot - not for stuff like this…  But he knows how it all works, which is why Sam asked him to come today to talk to them.”

Quill nodded.  “Are they going to be okay?”

Bruce was quieter than usual, tucked away in a corner with his arms around himself and looking as dead as Quill felt.  “Well, they’ve been crying all night. I can’t blame them, though; I’d be scared, too…” 

“I got them some damn good lawyers,” Tony promised.  “They’ll be okay; Hela can’t do shit to Thor because he didn’t do anything wrong.” 

Quill didn’t feel as confident as Tony apparently did, and his stress only amplified when they finally went in for the trial.  He sat in his seat, quivering so violently, he was sure it looked as if he were having some sort of fit. His eyes were overflowing with tears, his mind echoing with the  ghosts of conversations past in very similar circumstances, and all he wanted was to curl up into a tight ball with his hands over his ears and hope he could just be left alone.  

Quill hadn’t felt so weak for a long time, but here he was, feeling like that same child telling everyone how his father had raped him again and again, used to hold him down and cut him, and if Ego was in a particularly good mood, Quill would get away with being kicked around for the night.  

It was no surprise when, he was called to the stand, tears rolled down his cheeks and he struggled finding what was left of his voice.  

“I didn’t witness the initial conflict…” Quill’s voice wavered and dropped out as he tried his hardest to speak past the lump in his throat.  “I heard it… But when I -”

“- What was it that you heard?”

Quill’s shaking grew worse, and he let out a sob.  He wrapped his arms around himself. All he wanted in this moment was to go back to Yondu’s side and curl up in the man’s arms and never have to be around another human being ever again.  “...I-I heard… Hela… Hela’s friend… T-they…”

Quill looked around at his surroundings as he tried to steady himself.  He could see Thor watching him with confusion, his lover’s memories still having not returned and only now learning what had happened in his own home.  

Quill took a deep breath to try and steady himself as he pretended he didn’t feel so vulnerable in front of all these people.  “...T-thor… was yelling… I-I… He was yelling about how he wouldn’t… let his sister whore their brother out to her friends…” 

There was a loud bang from behind Quill, accompanied by swearing.  Quill jumped, his heart racing so quickly, he thought he was about to pass out.  His mouth went so dry, he couldn’t even wet it with his tongue. He looked behind him again, seeing Thor being restrained and handcuffed by security as he glared hatefully at Hela.  

It only grew harder and harder for Quill from there on, and by the time he’d finally finished his interrogation, he had all but shut down.  He didn’t even know what had happened by the time the case finished and Yondu was pulling him to his feet; he just let out a loud sob and run back to the man’s car.  He turned his phone off so no one could get into contact with him, and nothing was said in the car as Yondu drove them home. 

As soon as they’d gotten home, Quill fled the vehicle and locked himself away in his bedroom, hiding beneath his blankets like the pathetic child he knew he was, not coming out or responding to anything Yondu had been able to come up with.

For three days Quill had stayed in his bed, trying to sleep away his pain despite the night terrors that had grown so bad, his throat was scratched up and sore from all his desperate screaming.  Yondu must have realised Quill wanted to be left alone as he’d stopped trying to get Quill to open the door to him, and no one else came to visit. 

It was on the fourth day Quill finally pulled himself out of bed, and never before had he felt so zombie-like until he was dragging himself through the house, tripping over trays of food left at his door and not even noticing.  He found himself standing in the middle of the kitchen, and he felt like he were in a trance as he opened the cutlery drawer and reached in to grab one of the steak knives.

He stood there, staring at the serrated edge as if it held all the answers to his questions.  It would be so easy; just one little cut and he could be done with everything. He’d never have to feel again if he could just -

“- What the  _ hell  _ are you doin’, boy?!” Yondu roared as his footsteps thundered into the kitchen.  Quill jumped as if he had been burnt, dropping the knife to the ground with a loud clatter.  “Don’t you  _ dare _ !” 

Quill’s eyes widened as the trance broke.  He looked at Yondu in disbelief, his voice high-pitched as he yelped, “Y-yondu!  I don’t…! I don’t know what came over me!” 

Yondu grabbed Quill by the back of his jacket and pulled him out of the kitchen and into the living room.  He forced Quill to sit on the couch, and with all the anger and worry he could muster, he bellowed, “You tryin’ to make me  _ worry  _ about you again, boy?!  I haven’t worried about you in three years and now look at you!” 

Quill dived forward and wrapped his arms around Yondu now.  His tears came harder as he whimpered. “I-I’m s-sorry, Y-yondu…!  I just… I…!” 

“Don’t you do this to me, Quill!” Yondu demanded.  He took hold of Quill’s wrist and squeezed tightly.  “I didn’t raise you for twelve years for you to quit on me like that!”  

Quill’s tears were impossible to stop when he felt Yondu hug him back.  He cried loudly, finally letting out all the years of agony he’d kept locked away.  Yondu didn’t yell now; he just held Quill tight as he waited for him to get it all out.

Finally, Quill croaked.  “I m-miss her, Yondu…! I miss her s-so much…!” 

Yondu gave a stiff nod.  Though Quill hadn’t exactly spoken with him about it, he’d had a feeling that Quill choosing to go through all of this would only stir the most painful memories Quill had locked away.  He held Quill tighter. “It wasn’t your fault, boy. It  _ still  _ isn’t your fault.  He was a very sick man, and you  _ know  _ that, Quill.”

Quill shook his head.  “He should have killed me instead…  I wish he  _ did  _ kill me instead of my mum…” 

Yondu didn’t know what to say.  Quill’s mother was the one thing he’d never been able to talk about to anyone, not even to him.  He knew the story; how it had come out after Quill had finally been taken away that Ego had murdered Quill’s mother in front of him when he was eight.  The circumstances of her death had been haunting enough for Yondu to hear, so he couldn’t imagine how Quill had to feel having been witness to such a gruesome end.  

One thing Yondu  _ did  _ know was that Quill still blamed himself for it to this day, thinking  _ he  _ was at fault for only seeking out his mother’s protection against someone who didn’t  _ deserve  _ to be Quill’s father.  

“It was  _ not  _ your fault.  You hear me, Quill?” Yondu reinforced.  “It will  _ never  _ be your fault.” 

The one and only thing Quill had never been able to acknowledge properly, and now that he finally was, Yondu had no idea how to help him.  

Yondu had been afraid this would happen when Quill had confided in him he was going to court for his boyfriend’s sake.

* * *

 

It took a week before Quill could socialise again.  Even Yondu hadn’t been able to get much more out of Quill; Quill had just locked himself away in his bedroom once again with only Rocket for company. 

Finally, for the first time in what had felt like an eternity, Quill had emerged from his room of his own accord to join Yondu for dinner.  He’d sat silently at the table, the platter that Yondu had left at his door earlier in his hands as he gently lowered it onto the table. 

“Sorry…” Quill murmured, his head bowed.

“Don’t be sorry, boy,” Yondu assured.  “You did nothin’ wrong. Your friends have all been texting me, askin’ how you are.”

Quill looked up now.  “What did you tell them…?” 

“I told ‘em you’re… getting through it.” Yondu pushed his spoon through his vegetables absentmindedly.  “They said you still haven’t turned your phone on.” 

Quill shook his head.  “I’ll turn it back on when I’m ready, Yondu…  I’m not just yet…” 

Yondu nodded, and then it fell silent once more.  Neither of them spoke for almost ten minutes before Quill finally murmured, “Has Thor been texting you…?”

Yondu shook his head.  “No. Not that I remember.” 

Quill felt so sick, knowing how  _ wrong  _ it was for him to not even know what verdict his own  _ boyfriend  _ had been given.  He felt the bile climb his throat as anxiety gripped at him once more.  “...” 

Yondu sensed Quill’s emotion.  “You did good out there, boy. I thought you weren’t goin’ to be able to do it.  But you pushed through. I’m proud of you.” 

Quill wiped at his dampening eyes.  “It was so  _ hard,  _ Yondu…  All I could think about was when I was fourteen, and having to tell everyone what Ego did to me…  I felt so pathetic… I was so scared… I’m twenty-six and yet I felt like I was  _ five,  _ Yondu…” 

Yondu shook his head.  “Quill… You made a point out there.  A point that no matter what Ego did to you, he doesn’t  _ control  _ you.  And that right there… was my proudest moment as your daddy.” 

Quill choked on the sob that caught in his throat.  He covered his face with his hands as he cried, but he didn’t leave to retreat back to the safety of his room; he stayed with Yondu, needing the man’s support now more than ever.  

Suddenly, Ego was a distant thought in the back of Quill’s mind as he realised now that after all this time, Yondu really  _ was  _ his dad.  


	14. Chapter 14

When the doors to the elevator in Tony’s home opened, the first thing Quill saw was Tony himself seated at the dining table with blueprints spread out in front of him.  The man looked up from them at the doors opening, and his eyes widened as he jumped to his feet and pressed his finger against his lips. He gestured towards the couches as he shushed Quill before he hurried over.

“Don’t wake them!” Tony hissed.  “They’re finally asleep!” 

Quill raised his eyebrow in confusion.  He looked over at the couches, and he felt a fondness swirl in his stomach as he observed the way Peter and Loki were cuddled together on one of them, both fast asleep.  He looked back at Tony. Did he dare ask the question…? “...Where’s… Thor…?” 

“With his therapist.” Tony wrapped his arm around Quill’s shoulders and walked him over to the dining table.  “He isn’t doing too well. I’ve made him see a psychologist.”

Quill took a seat at the table as he sighed.  “I think a psychologist is what I need, too…” 

“If you want one, I’ll get you into one,” Tony promised.  “You went through hell for Thor. I don’t blame you.” 

“So Thor’s going to be okay now…?” Quill hated how pathetic he sounded.

“Yeah, and it’s thanks to  _ you  _ he hasn’t been locked up somewhere.” Tony wrapped his arm around Quill again in thanks.  “If you didn’t stand up there and tell them what happened… No; they locked Hela away instead, thank god.” 

“Stark, I…” Quill dropped his face in his hands.  “...I don’t think… I am any good for Thor…”

Tony remained silent, waiting for Quill to open up more.  “...”

“...In saying that…  I don’t think he’s good for me, too…  I was doing okay, but now, I… He deserves so much better than what I can give him, Stark…” 

“But he doesn’t  _ want  _ better; he wants  _ you _ ,” Tony soothed.  “He doesn’t care about ‘better’ - whatever that is.  What he cares about is how  _ happy  _ you make him - and believe me, kid; you make him  _ very  _ happy.” 

“I think he’s hurting my trauma too much…” Quill wiped at his eyes.  “I was… I was  _ stable _ …  But now, I…  I’m not doing well at all…  I’ve never hurt myself until last night…”  

Tony looked crestfallen as he reached out to gingerly take hold of Quill’s wrist.  He tugged the sleeves back to see what had happened, and sure enough, there it was; a deep cut across Quill’s wrist.  He looked up again to meet Quill’s eyes. “Kid, life fucking sucks. I think we can all agree on that. We’ve all had our own shit happen to us, and I don’t think  _ Thor  _ can be blamed that you’re taking steps back.  It would have happened no matter _ who  _ you got with.  That’s what happens when you love someone, Quill; you open yourself up and you leave yourself vulnerable.  If it wasn’t Thor, it would have been someone else.” 

“I don’t know if I can handle it…” Quill confided.  “I… I’m scared that if I… If I don’t get help, I’m gonna…  Gonna kill… ...myself…” 

“You’re going to get help,” Tony swore.  “I’m going to  _ get  _ you help.  Whatever you need, I’ll make sure you get it.  But don’t give up on Thor  _ yet,  _ kid.  I know what you’re going through; I had a similar situation with Banner, and now look at us.” 

“I don’t know what we are…” Quill whispered.  “I haven’t… I haven’t been in contact with him for so long now…  I don’t know if he even wants me anymore; I’m such a pathetic failure piece of shit...” 

“You are  _ none  _ of that!” Tony wrapped his hand around Quill’s injured wrist and held on, hoping his firm grip could be reassuring at the very least.  “Thor understands. It’s why he never came to your house looking for you. As hard as it has been for him… He’s been waiting for you to be ready to talk to him again.  Look, kid…” 

Quill couldn’t help but flinch at the way Tony’s tone hardened.  “...”

“We’ve known Thor for a long time,” Tony started.  “We’ve been there for him through thick and thin. We  _ know  _ Thor.  We know him so well, that I’m confident in saying…  If Thor wasn’t prepared to go through the bad shit with you, he would never have dated you.  You  _ know  _ he fucked around with all of us before he was with you.  He’s been in our bed so many times, we probably should have just accepted him as our boyfriend.  But  _ never  _ would Thor have settled with one of us.  You know why?”

Quill felt he knew the answer, but still he needed to hear it.  He shook his head. “Why…?”

“Because as much as Thor loves us as his  _ friends _ …  He can’t see a proper future with any of us.  Yeah, he’d never abandon any of us, and he wants us to stay with him forever.  But Thor knows what he wants, and a stable, loving relationship is number one on his list.  None of us can give him that. But he sees  _ you  _ being able to give him what he needs.  He isn’t stupid, Quill. Thor knows what he wants.  He wants to finish school. He wants to get a good job he can support himself with.  He wants to own his own house. But most of all, he wants  _ you  _ to be there with him when he gets all of that.” 

Quill didn’t know how to respond.  His mouth opened and closed wordlessly as his hands fumbled with each other.  He’d had an idea about all of this… But to such an extent, he could never have thought…  “...”

“You need to trust me with this,” Tony said softly.  “Thor  _ loves  _ you.  He loves you like we’ve never seen him love before.  He wants to be with you forever, and whatever you’re scared about happening because your past has sucked…  Thor only wants to help you with it, Quill. He doesn’t scare easily, and no matter what kind of shit has happened to you…  He’ll still love you anyway. Whatever you need, he’ll give you, whether it’s someone to talk to or an ear to listen or even…  If you need time to yourself to cope. No matter what you need, you’ll get it from him, Quill. I  _ promise  _ you.” 

A single tear rolled down Quill’s cheek.  He bowed his head. “How do you know him so well, Stark…?”

“For the longest time, we were  _ all  _ he  _ had _ , kid,” Tony murmured.  “But he has you now. And I know…  What it’s like to have issues you think you just can’t escape from - like you’re… stuck in some sort of time loop that will never let you escape the past…  But  _ don’t  _ face it alone, kid.  I’ve tried that, and it  _ never  _ worked.  Keep people by your side as you work through your shit.  Sometimes you just need someone there… Don’t give up on Thor; you can get through it, Quill.  It just takes time.” 

Quill wiped his eyes with his sleeve.  He nodded. “Can I have a can of coke, please…?” 

Tony stood up to move into the kitchen.  He grabbed a can as well as leftover cake from last night that Bruce had baked for the boys.  He brought them out to Quill and put them in front of him. “Cake’s fresh; Banner baked it last night for Thor and my kids.” 

Quill shouldn’t help but chuckle.  “You think of Loki as yours already…?”

Tony waved a dismissive hand.  “Well, yeah. Peter was mine before I even got to adopt him.  Soon as I met him I knew he was the kid I’d never had.” 

“What does Thor think of you calling Loki that?” 

“It makes him happy,” Tony promised.  “Loki hasn’t felt like anyone has loved or wanted him for a very long time.  Thor is fucking  _ overjoyed  _ to know Loki’s wanted.  How fucking sad is that…” 

Quill nodded.  He wiped away the last of his tears before he opened his can and took one of the slices of cake to nibble at.  He watched Tony as he worked on his blueprints, and though he wanted to ask what it was the man wanted to make, he no longer had the energy to speak; he only nibbled at his cake for a bit longer before he stood up and moved to the unoccupied couch so he could sleep as well.

Quill didn’t need to try and drift off; as soon as his eyes had closed, he was dead to the world.

* * *

 

When Quill woke up, he wasn’t on the couch anymore. He’d been moved to the bedroom he usually shared with Thor whenever he stayed at Tony’s.  This raised a lot of questions, but when he heard the adjoining shower running, he relaxed; Thor must have come home and carried him in. 

Sure enough, when the shower turned off and Thor emerged with a towel wrapped around his hips, Quill couldn’t help but look away in shame. 

Thor’s smile was small, but still there nonetheless. He didn’t hesitate to sit by his lover’s side, not even caring to get dressed now that he could finally be back with Quill.  “I have missed you so desperately, Quill.” 

Quill nodded.  “Sorry…”

“Do not apologise; I understood,” Thor whispered.  He reached up to rub his thumb against Quill’s cheek.  “I saw how pained you were speaking on my behalf… I could not have asked for a better partner.”

“You still want me…?” Quill trusted Tony with what the man had told him, but he still needed to be sure. 

“Of course I do.  I would wish for us to be together for the rest of our lives.” Thor kissed Quill’s cheek.  “You are so incredibly precious to me, Quill…” 

Quill nodded. “I love you, too…  I’m just… I’m having a hard time, you know…?  I’ve got a lot of shit I haven’t dealt with as well as I should have, and I might… I might just need some time to myself to deal with it all.” 

“If you need to be alone, by all means please tell me if that is what you need.” Thor was so genuine, Quill felt ill.  “I would never force you to be with me if it would only hurt you. I appreciate that things… between us may not be the most healthy for your mind.  I very much acknowledge and appreciate that between the two of us - and my brother, of course - there will be times we do more harm than good to each other.  And I never want to hurt you, Quill.  _ Never _ .  I want you to feel loved and appreciated.  But with our pasts… I would never subject you to so much pain you cannot escape.” 

Quill nodded.  “We should have spoken about this ages ago, man…”

“Maybe.  But we are talking about it now, and that’s the important thing,” Thor whispered.  “I only want to make you happy, Quill. I know sometimes… I hurt you… Whether through the things I say and do…  Or because my past is triggering for you… But I really hope one day you can trust me to talk to me about the things I do wrong so I can work on being a better partner for you, Quill.” 

“The same goes for you, too, dude…” Quill whispered.  “I’m okay at the moment, but I… I’m working on some stuff at the moment, and I think I might just need some time to be alone again soon…  It’s been so draining being around people since court; I need to recharge my batteries…” 

Thor kissed Quill’s forehead.  “Whatever you need, Quill. You need only tell me how I can help you and I will do it.” 

Quill nodded.  They fell into a comfortable silence now until Thor finally whispered, “Stark told me you have cut yourself…”

“Yeah, man…” Quill pulled his sleeve down to show his lover the wound.  “It’s only the one… I guess I was just under so much stress…” 

Thor caressed the wound with tenderness before he kissed it.  He bowed his head. “I am afraid I have not been the most well myself as of late… I have been wounding myself, too…”

Quill couldn’t  _ see  _ any wounds, but then again…  “On your thighs, right?” 

“Yes…  I have… been very sick since everything happened… I have been attempting suicide; now that Loki has someone to love him and give him what he needs, he does not need me anymore, and I… have fallen into a depression I do not know if I can come back from…” 

“Dude…” Quill wrapped his arms around Thor’s neck and held tight to him.  He closed his eyes to fight against his tears. “Don’t ever think… you aren’t needed… Because  _ I  _ need you right now, Thor… I’m  _ always  _ going to need you… I  _ love  _ you, Thor…”

Thor allowed tears of his own to roll down his cheeks.  He nodded as he returned the hug. “I love you so much, too, Quill…” 

“Hey…” Quill pulled away now to look into Thor’s eyes. He pressed his lips against Thor’s before he murmured, “Call me Peter.  Okay?” 

A tender smile crossed Thor’s face.  He knew the implications of this; Quill trusted him so flawlessly, believed in him so much, Quill was able to seperate Thor and Ego completely.  His stomach did somersaults at the realisation that he had earned Quill’s love, and he couldn’t stop himself from pulling Quill into a deep kiss filled with all the passion he didn’t know how to put into words. 

Quill kissed back with just as much love until he felt his lover’s arousal poke at him. He pulled away as he choked on a laugh, and though he still looked as if he had aged forty years in his stress, he still smiled as he teased, “Not right now, Thor.  Maybe later, man.” 

Thor chuckled back.  He caressed Quill’s cheek lovingly as he murmured, “Sorry.  I could not help it; you made me so happy, Peter.” 

Quill smiled.  “I know. I’m gonna take another nap.  You wanna sleep with me?”

“Of course,” Thor whispered. 

“Try not to keep poking me,” Quill teased again.  “You gotta learn how to control yourself, dude. You’re always horny, I swear.” 

Thor laughed.  “I may always be in the mood to make love to you, Peter, but never would I force you into it.”

“I know, babe,” Quill whispered back.  “Same to you.” 

They shared one last kiss before Thor wrapped his arms tight around Quill and held him close.  Quill snuggled in against Thor, his face buried against the warm chest he knew so well, and finally, for the first time in so long, he slept peacefully. 


	15. Chapter 15

Quill had indeed taken his break from socialising, but Thor had been the one exception (even Yondu hadn’t had such privileges) in which Quill had - mostly - had energy enough to keep in contact with through texting.  

It was why, after a long day of trying his damned hardest to force himself back into sleep whenever he awoke, Quill had found the motivation to get out of bed and get dressed so he could meet Thor at a restaurant for dinner.  

Quill arrived first, it had seemed, as Thor was nowhere in sight.  Quill wasn’t worried; Thor had a spectacular habit of running late for everything, unlike no one Quill had ever met before.  He showed up soon enough, a shy grin on his face as he apologised profusely while pulling Quill into his arms.

“I am so sorry, Peter, I got caught up with Loki and then I missed the bus.” Thor kissed Quill’s forehead as he pulled away.  

Quill hummed.  He rubbed at his eyes, still too tired to really want to deal with all this, but still, he murmured, “Is Loki okay?” 

“Yes, I was helping him with his schedule for tomorrow,” Thor said softly.  He took a seat at the other end of the table and picked up his menu. “His therapist has suggested to him to plan out his day properly to help with his motivation.” 

“Yeah, mine told me to try something like that, but I couldn’t even be fucked  _ trying _ .” Quill sighed and rubbed at his eyes again.  “Bit counterproductive when energy and motivation is what I  _ don’t fucking have… _ ” 

Thor reached across the table to hold Quill’s hand.  He smiled. “I have been struggling, too… I have been trying to do as you told me to - to…  To try and live for myself rather than for my brother. ...But… I am not finding it easy… I do not know  _ how  _ to live for myself…” 

“It’s not hard, man.  Just do stuff  _ you  _ enjoy, and stop running around after everyone else trying to please them.” Quill tossed his menu carelessly onto the table now that he knew what he wanted to order.  “Like… I listen to music and play videogames. I’ve  _ never  _ seen you do something that  _ isn’t  _ running after Loki - nothing except playing games with me and my friends.” 

Thor cocked his head to the side as he pondered those words.  What  _ did  _ he enjoy doing?  He wasn’t sure he really even remembered his hobbies and interests from when he had been younger; the only purpose he had given himself for so long now was to be a shield for his brother.  

...But now that Loki no longer needed his protection, Thor wasn’t sure he even remembered  _ who  _ he  _ was _ anymore.  

“...I… used to do lots of gym,” Thor suggested faintly as he tried his hardest to jog his memories.  

Quill nodded.  “Cool. So like, we’ll get some gym memberships and start going, okay?  I used to do a bit of gym as well. I need to start doing it again, so I’ll come with you.  We both probably need that push.” 

Thor smiled.  “Okay. I would love that.”

Quill nodded.  “Anything else you know you like doing?” 

A frown slowly grew across Thor’s face as he tried so hard to think of something, but all he could do was draw blanks.  He shook his head and closed his eyes. “I do not… recall…” 

“It’s cool; we’ll find stuff you like.” Quill looked away from Thor as the waitress came to take their orders.  Once she’d left, he turned back to his boyfriend. “I mean… Before Yondu, I… I’d never even had  _ crayons _ …  I’d never watched TV or read a book, and going outside meant I’d be beaten to an inch of my life…”

Thor squeezed Quill’s hand tighter.  “Peter…” 

A faint smile crossed Quill’s face now.  He pulled his hand away from Thor so he could reach down and pull his walkman from his belt.  He showed it to Thor. “But music… I could always rely on my mum to show me her favourite songs.  My walkman was the only gift I’d ever gotten before Yondu. Man, it took so long to find who I was as a person, Thor…  So much trial and error… But I’ve been living for myself for five years now, and that’s the important thing.” 

Thor smiled again now.  “I like shopping. I like buying chocolate to surprise my brother with.” 

“Then we can do that, too,” Quill promised.  “Do you like hiking? Drax and Mantis always find the best places.  Gamora and Nebula drag me with them to make sure I get my sun for the day.” 

A surprised look crossed Thor’s features.  “I have never hiked before. But I think I would enjoy it.  I would like very much to bring Loki with me.” 

“Yeah, of course, dude.”

They kept discussing things they could do together until their food arrived, and with the welcomed change of topic, Thor murmured, “Stark has been helping me apply for a house to rent.  I have not had any luck yet, but Stark picks me back up when I get too discouraged to try again.” 

Quill smiled.  “There’s no rush, Thor; I think Stark likes having you around.” 

“I know he does, but I would like to be independent,” Thor said softly.  “I do not wish to take advantage of my friend’s generosity towards me. Stark says he thinks no one will accept me because I have no income and no references, so he told me on my next application to put his name on it and he will be my referee.”

“He’d look  _ so  _ good on it,” Quill agreed.

“He said if I cannot find somewhere to rent, he will buy a house I can live in and pay rent to him instead.  He knows how badly I want to make my own way in life; he wants to help me get my foot in the door doing so.” 

“Would you you bring Loki with you if you got a place?” 

Thor pondered the question for several moments before he frowned and gingerly dropped his fork onto his plate.  “...I… I would very much like to do so… But I feel Loki’s dependency on me now needs to be weaned or he will not do well in his own life when I am no longer around to do everything for him…  I think I also need to learn how to live without Loki, and now that he can experience what a proper family is supposed to be, he could learn how to be very happy if he were to stay with Stark and Banner…”

“Very mature of you, Thor,” Quill said softly.  “It hurts you so much to feel like you’re leaving your brother behind, but you’re doing the best thing for him.  He’s missed out on seventeen years of his life; let him learn how to be a kid before he has to grow up.” 

Thor nodded.  “He is getting to be very close with Peter, too.  It makes me so happy to see it… Banner took them to see a movie last night; my brother was so happy when he came home…” 

Quill grinned.  “Loki’s gonna do great, Thor.  Don’t stress about him. He’s getting what he needs and that’s love and stability.  ...I think that’s all that everyone really needs...” 

“Thank you for listening to me, Peter.  Will you take a walk with me after dinner?  Natasha tells me there is a lake nearby that is beautiful at night.” 

“Sure, man,” Quill promised.  “Wanna come over the night? It’ll just be us; Yondu’s out drinking with Kraglin again.  We can get some beer on the way and watch some movies.” 

“I would love that very much.” Thor grinned.  

Quill returned the grin before he placed his attention on his dinner once more.  Their night had gone as planned; they’d found the lake Natasha had been talking about, and on their way back to Quill’s, they stopped by the liquor store.  

Quill wasn’t sure they could blame what came next on the alcohol or the lack of good movies that had been on TV because, twenty minutes into a mind-numbingly boring movie, he’d curled in against Thor and dropped his hand to his lover’s thigh to knead at the strong muscle beneath his hand. 

Thor had responded in kind, and soon enough, they’d found themselves in Quill’s room with the lights off and their bodies pressed together beneath the blankets as Thor’s hips rolled slowly and gently into Quill’s.  

Needless to say, when they drifted off shortly after their love-making had ended, they both were sated and relaxed in ways they hadn’t been able to achieve since the trial. 


	16. Chapter 16

“Does this outfit make me look fat?” Quill looked himself over in the mirror at every angle he could manage.  He frowned at his reflection; he was going to have to start hitting the gym again, but with a new full-time job under his belt, he wasn’t sure how much time he would have to do so.  

Thor looked up from his homework to admire his lover.  He stretched himself further out on their bed, and his smile was so gentle as he murmured, “Of course not, Peter.  Do not be silly. You are beautiful.” 

“Thanks, man.” Quill smiled back.  “You almost done with your homework?  Need any help?” 

“Yes, please,” Thor said softly.  “I hate that I have fallen so far behind…  I’m still where I have been seven hours ago on this  _ stupid  _ assignment!” 

“Not your fault, dude,” Quill promised, hoping to soothe Thor’s clear frustration at himself.  He would  _ never  _ blame Thor for having needed his course extended after falling so far behind with everything that had happened and consequently struggling to complete it. “I’ll give you a hand after we get home from dinner.  You should probably get ready, too.”

“I will have a shower,” Thor decided.  He knew his temper was rising, and hopefully a warm shower would help him relax.  He pushed his laptop off him and sat up, but he didn’t leave the bed just yet; instead, his eyes wandered over Quill’s body and drank in his lover’s appearance.  He’d always loved Quill’s red leather jacket, and he swore it only ever amplified Quill’s attractiveness. “You look great, sweetheart.” 

Quill grinned.  He moved back to the closet to look for socks, but for some reason, neither of them ever had any pairs.  Over his shoulder, he called, “Wanna get up early and go the gym tomorrow? I don’t need to be at work until eight.” 

Thor hummed.  He pushed himself off the bed, wincing slightly at the ache in his behind from when he had been with Quill that morning.  “I will see how I feel in the morning, love.” 

Quill wasn’t going to push Thor; he was still battling his depression, despite it being almost a year later.   With Thor in the shower, he moved to take his lover’s place on the bed and pick up the laptop. He scrolled through the document, making a mental note to sit down with Thor and help him with all this.  Quill had already completed his course, but Thor was struggling so much, in energy, motivation and  _ understanding _ , and since he was so close to completing as well, Quill would hate to see him fail now.  

He closed the laptop lid and placed it on the bedside table.  He patted Rocket, who was sleeping beside him on Quill’s pillow, before he stretched and pulled his phone from his pocket to text Gamora and let her know that they would be at the restaurant shortly for her birthday.  With that, he moved to the living room to put the TV on and wait for Thor to be ready.

* * *

 

It wasn’t much longer until they’d arrived at the restaurant and found Gamora already sitting in the lobby, with Loki and Peter next to her.  Thor’s bright smile returned immediately upon sighting his precious brother, and his pace quickened so he could engulf Loki in a bone-crushing hug.  

“Stark and Banner not show up yet?” Quill asked Gamora as he sat on her other side.

“Oh, they were here, but they got a phone call,” Gamora explained.  “Something came up with the company and they had to leave, but Loki and Peter stayed.” 

Quill nodded.  He watched the way Thor let go of Loki to hug Peter tightly next, and once they had exchanged their greetings, Gamora was the next to have his arms wrapped around them, albeit much more gently this time.  

“You know she isn’t gonna break,  dude.” Quill shrugged at the questioning look Thor gave him.  “She’d probably kick your ass in a fight, too.” 

Thor laughed loudly.  His eyes crinkled from the weight of his smile.  “Perhaps, but I dare not find out. I would hate to hurt her.” 

“Five minutes in a ring with you and I guarantee you’d be surrendering.” Gamora smirked.

Thor’s smile widened.  “I like your confidence.  Maybe we should find out one day.” 

Gamora smiled back, and though she’d intended on talking to him, she closed her mouth when Loki tugged at his brother’s arm to get his attention.  Her heart warmed at how sincerely happy Loki looked tonight; the first time she had met him, he had been a terrified little thing, unable to even  _ look  _ at them, let alone talk to them.  

But now, just months into having a stable home life with people who genuinely loved him, Loki was flourishing, and Gamora couldn’t help but remember just how similar it had been with Quill.  

“He reminds me of you,” Gamora murmured to Quill, while Loki rambled on to Thor about how Steve and Bucky had taken him and Peter out snowboarding last week.  

Quill snorted.  “I’m more handsome, though, clearly.” 

“That’s debatable,” Gamora teased.  “We haven’t heard much from you. Have you been okay?” 

Quill shrugged.  “Been pretty busy…  I’m stabilised at the moment.  Thor isn’t, but he’s getting there.  He’s having less and less bad days. Today has been a good day for him, mostly.” 

Gamora nodded.  She looked behind Quill as she heard the door of the restaurant open.  “Drax and Mantis are here. So’s Steve.” 

“Hey.” Quill grabbed Gamora’s shoulder to stop her as she went to stand.  His eyes glistened with emotion as he whispered, “Thanks for thinking of Thor and inviting his friends, too.” 

Gamora smiled at him.  “Of course.” 

Quill stood up with Gamora to greet the newcomers.  He was almost knocked off his feet at the clap to his shoulder Drax gave him, and with a pout, he mumbled, “Be careful, man…”  

Drax gripped Quill’s shoulder as his voice boomed through the lobby.  “I heard you got a new job, Quill.” 

“Yeah, but it’s only temporary for now.  Just some accounting,” Quill mumbled again.  He shuffled his feet in a self-conscious manner, but he looked up from the ground at Steve’s gentle voice.

“Your foster father must be so proud of you, Quill.” Steve had always been so kind to him, Quill couldn’t help but relax.  

“No; Yondu is proud of the pirate angel,” Drax confirmed.  Quill snorted, Thor absolutely  _ beamed _ at the attention, and Steve smiled as he patted Thor’s arm in affection. 

When the last of the guests had arrived and they’d sat and their table, it was Loki and Peter, the ones everyone - even Drax - felt overprotective of, who brought silence to them all as Loki shyly spoke up.  No one dared speak over him lest they scare him; he was finally coming out of his shell, and they all wanted to encourage his growth. “I… have picked my grades up again in school… They kept dropping, and my teachers were going to fail me…  But I’m getting straight A’s again now…” 

Thor wrapped his arm around his brother’s shoulders and pulled him in close. He grinned vibrantly as he dropped his cheek against the top of Loki’s head.  “My brother is  _ much  _ happier away from my father and my sister!  Stark and Banner are so good to Loki!”

The conversations continued.  Thor was enjoying his brother’s attention as Quill held a serious conversation with Steve and Drax about an encounter he’d had with his new boss, but it was Peter who’d drawn all the attention onto himself as he draped his body over Loki’s back and grinned at Thor. 

“Can we stay at your place tonight?” Peter requested exuberantly.  “Mr. Stark said he might not be home until late, and we’re going to miss out on our board game night if we’re alone!” 

There was no hesitation whatsoever in Thor as he wrapped his arms around both of the teenagers and held them tight as he grinned.  “Yes! You can stay with us whenever you want to, Peter. I would love your company.”

True to his word, as soon as Quill and Thor had gotten home with the teens, Thor had sat with them in the living room with the Monopoly board out while Quill excused himself and headed towards their bedroom.  He closed the bedroom door gently behind him so he could lay down on the bed and relax from his busy night. He almost grabbed his walkman off his bedside drawers so he could listen to it as he unwinded, but his eyes lingered on the Zune Yondu and Kraglin had gifted him recently.  His fingers twitched above his walkman before he moved his hand and held the Zune with a smile on his face; having finally visited his mother’s grave for the first time in his life, he felt as if he was finally moving on from his grief and mourning.

He plugged his earphones in as he cycled through his playlist to find what he was in the mood for, and once he was content with what he had found, he opened the drawer to get his antidepressants out.  He liked that these ones dissolved on his tongue; when he was having a lazy night, it was much more convenient for him. He wished that Thor had the same luxury with his own medication, but that wasn’t important; all that mattered was they’d been put on antidepressants that not only helped with their moods, but was able to get them to sleep and  _ keep  _ them asleep.  

While Thor was out in the living room with the kids, Quill closed his eyes to take a nap.  He knew that with the medication in his system it was more likely he would pass out for the rest of the night, but still he took the chance.

Apparently, the cards were in his favour tonight as Quill’s eyes had opened when he felt Thor wrap his arms around him and pull him against his body; Quill loved nothing more than falling asleep in his lover’s arms.  The lights had been turned off and Thor was in his pyjamas, hair damp from a shower, and his Zune seemed to have been removed from his person, too.

Quill yawned.  “Are you still awake, Thor…?”

Thor hummed.  From the sounds of things, he wasn’t far from sleep himself.  “For now…”

“Did you put my Zune on the drawers?” 

“Mhm.” Thor kissed his lover’s earlobe.  “I did not want it to be broken…” 

“Thanks, man.  I owe you.” Quill snuggled backwards to get more of Thor’s body heat.  “Are Loki and Peter okay?”

“They are fine…” Thor nuzzled his face into the back of Quill’s head, his words slurring more and more as sleep dragged him under.  “They are… already asleep…” 

“Sweet.” Quill closed his eyes again as his own exhaustion tugged at him once more.  “Go to sleep. I’ll help you with your school work tomorrow…” 

“I love you, Peter…” 

“I love you, too, man,” Quill promised.  

Quill listened as Thor’s breathing soon evened out, tickling the back of his neck with every exhale.  He focused on the steady heartbeat against his back, waiting for sleep to claim him as well. He got there eventually, but he didn’t mind the wait because it meant he got to enjoy his lover’s warmth for just that little bit longer.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe it's because I really loved writing this fic so much, but no matter how many times I re-wrote this epilogue, I still struggle to be completely satisfied with how it has turned out. It feels almost like a let-down compared to most, if not every other chapter of this fic, but I think I'm just being hard on myself because of the high quality of standard I held myself to when writing this.
> 
> I originally tried to tie up several more loose ends with the epilogue, but I felt it really slowed the pacing down something terribly, so I pulled several things out and re-wrote much of it. Some things you may have hoped to have cleared up were probably pulled, but I do have much more plot I wanted to cover originally in this one fic but would rather save for a sequel. 
> 
> If a sequel does come out, it probably will not be soon as I would like to focus on some of my other stuff first and I have university starting up again shortly. But fingers crossed, I'll get to it soon enough because I absolutely adored this fic so much and didn't want it to end, but I had to know when enough was enough before I ruined it being unable to let go.


End file.
